


Confessions

by zenkitty555



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Polyamory, Post-Doctor Strange (2016), Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-07 12:29:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenkitty555/pseuds/zenkitty555
Summary: Stephen and Wong try to pick up the pieces after Hong Kong, and find themselves visited by ghosts from the past. In the process, they come to terms with events that have shaped their lives.





	1. Chapter 1

Wong sat across from Karl at the table, looking at his friend’s distracted expression. It was abnormal, as Karl was rather chatty at meal times. They had a day off soon, so Wong thought he was just thinking about that, much like Wong had been moments before. These days things were busy at Kamar-Taj, and they needed the break.

“Do you want to go to Hong Kong this Sunday?” Wong asked.

They often went out for a drink and a meal in one of Wong’s favorite areas whenever they had the day off together. It happened only once every three months or so, as the masters rotated their days off.

“I have plans.”

Wong furrowed his brow. This was very much unlike Karl as he didn’t have friends outside of their group, and all of their mutual friends did not have the day off. What would Karl possibly have to do on his day off that was not going out with Wong?

“You have plans?”

“Don’t sound so shocked. I do have a life outside of Kamar-Taj,” Karl scolded.

“Oh no, you started seeing someone again,” Wong grumbled. 

Karl didn’t meet his eyes, so it must have been true. He really hoped the man hadn’t started taking up with another tour guide again. The last time that had happened, it ended with Karl sulking for months and months, even though they had only met for roughly 6 weeks. 

“I may be involved with someone.”

He thought about it and had no idea where Karl would have found the time to meet someone in Kathmandu, so the only logical reasoning was that he had met someone in Kamar-Taj.

“Please tell me you are not dating a student.”

Silence coupled with the lack of eye contact from Karl confirmed it. He was seeing a student, something that was not forbidden, but definitely so highly frowned upon that it was almost like breaking a rule. Closing his eyes, Wong didn’t know if he wanted to know anymore, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it. His friend was playing with fire and he was worried.

“You know who it is,” Karl said with some semblance of shame in his voice.

Wong shook his head. He had been trying not to think about who it was specifically, but the way Karl acted it pretty much confirmed his suspicions. The way the two acted around one another at times bordered on obscene in Wong’s book. However, he was more conservative than most. Others tended to act as if they didn’t see it. 

“Of all the people in all of Kamar-Taj… If she catches you, you know that she won’t go easy on you, even if you are her favorite.”

“It was his fault,” Karl grumbled.

Wong was sure of that. Karl lacked the spontaneity and foolishness to ever start something like that, but he was ever so the romantic and would not be able to resist. He was in some ways very different from Wong, overly wanting to please the people he liked, and he would have been eager if someone he was attracted to came on to him. 

Sighing, Wong shook his head. 

“I’m sure it was, but he is not worthy of your heart. However, I cannot stop you. You will make your mistakes, and believe me when I say Strange will be a mistake.”

Karl looked annoyed at him, but he had to say what he believed. On the one hand, he was happy that his friend had found some happiness, but at the same time Strange was not good enough for Karl. Strange was too selfish, while his friend had too much empathy and compassion. It was not a good match, like a parasite sucking the energy from a host in Wong’s opinion.

“He makes me happy,” Karl said.

There was a fierceness in his expression that Wong had not seen in a long time, so Wong backed off, knowing the topic was closed. All he could hope was that Karl would not be coming to him looking for comfort after a few weeks. Knowing what kind of man Strange was left him feeling uneasy. 

When Wong saw Strange again, all he could do was glare at the man and think about the secret his friend told him. He couldn’t mention it, even though all he wanted to do was shake down the still fairly new sorcerer and say ‘if you ever hurt my friend you will have to answer to me’. Instead he just took Strange’s books before forcefully handing them back. Strange always looked uneasy with him, but tonight he seemed distracted, a goofy smile plastered on his face. The bounce in his step also confirmed that Strange was smitten with his friend too. All Wong could do was accept this.

Weeks passed and Wong kept his silence, although he secretly monitored Strange for the sake of his friend. Slowly, he gradually came to understand that Strange was essentially harmless, albeit self-absorbed. Wong never really cared for the man in the beginning as he had a overy-confident attitude when he should have learned to be humble, but now even he could see that Strange had some strong points.

Eventually things did end, but the surprise was that Karl was the one to end it and in the craziest way possible by simply leaving Kamar-Taj all together. Even if he had loved Stephen, something had happened where he just walked away from everything. Part of Wong wanted to believe it was Strange’s fault, but if that were the case, Karl wouldn’t have left Kamar-Taj and his best friend. No, he realized something else had gone on during the day. However, Wong didn’t understand what had happened, and started to feel betrayed by his friend, someone he had stood by for years and years. They had been through so much. 

It made him angry and irritated, and all he could do was continue as if they had never been friends. Who was he going to turn to now that his friend was gone and the Ancient One and Daniel were dead? Soon after that even Tina left. Only him and Stephen remained. 

Wong almost felt sorry for the man, if he stopped to think about it. It was something he tried his best not to do, because if he did, he would start thinking about Karl. It took a lot of energy just to continue his daily tasks, now multiplied exponentially, and he couldn’t waste such time being sentimental.

He managed not to think about Stephen until one day when Master Hamir asked him to check on Stephen at the New York Sanctum. It seemed that Stephen had been having some trouble with some of the other masters that Master Hamir had sent before. Wong vaguely remembered these instances where the others had been gossiping about Stephen’s sharp tongue and dour mood.

Wong sighed as he walked through the Sanctum, looking for the newly minted master. He was surprised to see Stephen laying on the floor of the library, his closed eyes sunken and darkened by whatever was plaguing him. He seemed to be resting, but as Wong stepped closer he spoke.

“Another babysitter? I am fine as you can see. You can tell Master Hamir not to worry. Everything is great in New York, and I am being a diligent Master.”

Wong frowned, furrowing his brow. No wonder Master Hamir had sent him. It wasn’t something he relished in, but Master Hamir knew that Wong could get through to most difficult students, and Stephen was acting like when he first entered Kamar-Taj. His self-centered attitude was evident on his face and woven throughout the tone of his voice.

“Really? Here I was thinking that you are indulging in your self-pity. Get up Strange and go fetch me some tea. I’m a guest here today.”

He wasn’t going to mince words, and that had gotten the attention of Stephen. They had to keep moving forward, and although it looked like Stephen had not rested for more than a few hours in the last few days, Wong wasn’t going to molly-coddle him. He knew the other sorcerer managed better under direct orders than hand holding. 

And so Stephen responded rather promptly, reluctantly dragging his frame up from the ground, thinner than the last time Wong had seen him, and left the room. Sitting in one of the chairs, he waited for Stephen to return, and he didn’t have to wait for long. Stephen entered the room with his cloak helping him carry the tray in, steadying it as not to spill the water from the full kettle. Wong ignored him, waiting for his cup to be placed in front of him.

“How much have you slept?” Wong demanded to know. 

“Enough to function.”

“Barely more than that,” Wong retorted.

Stephen smirked as poured himself some tea. 

“What brings you here?”

“Babysitting.”

Stephen sighed; it seemed that this was a normal occurrence. He wasn’t surprised by Stephen’s countenance or appearance, as whatever had happened that day was shocking to the extreme. Although he had not been with Stephen, something had happened before he came to Hong Kong, leading the Ancient One’s death. Details were vague and the rumors ran rampant at Kamar-Taj. He had heard even such absurdities as Stephen being the one to kill the Ancient One. Wong knew it must have been Kaecilius, No one could officially comment though, as the only person still with them at Kamar-Taj who knew what had happened that day was Stephen. 

Then in Hong Kong when Stephen went to the dark dimension, no one knew what had been said or done. At the time, only the relief of being alive washed over him, and then the confusion of Karl’s departure. Afterward he had been instructed by Master Hamir to instruct Stephen in some of the more key facets to being a master, leaving little time to process everything or even to talk about it.

“I am fine, Wong.”

Sighing loudly in exasperation, Wong stated, “I wish that were true. Anyone can see you are a mess. What the hell happened Stephen? I know that what you have gone through is something that I do not envy, but what exactly troubles you? The Ancient One? Dormammu? Karl leaving you?”

Stephen looked at him in surprised. Apparently Karl had never mentioned to him that Wong knew about their secret relationship.

“All of it,” He said quietly, averting his gaze. 

There was a visible reaction of relief as he said the words. It must have been weighing on him, and he had not felt comfortable to share with the others that had come to the Sanctum. Wong could understand that, as he knew that the others were probably practically salivating for details. He also had not talked to anyone either about what he had lost that day, except in vague terms with Master Hamir, but he also didn’t have the complication of hiding his relationship status. Everyone had known that Karl and him had been close friends. Although there had been rumors that they were more than friends earlier on, Wong hadn’t heard anything like that in years. 

Wong started to feel his heart getting heavier as he stopped to think about it. 

“You know, even though I’m a doctor, I always thought dying would feel different. I know what death looks like: slow deaths, quick deaths, violent deaths, and quiet deaths. The funny thing is even though I died over and over again at Dormammu’s will, it was the surviving that was the worst. To come back to earth and to have lost so much in the span of hours. At first I was numb, but now it’s just empty.”

Wong listened, not interrupting, keeping his expression guarded. It was his all he could do, and he listened until Stephen had his fill of talking. Most of the things he said just reiterated the points he originally talked about, trying to process it all. Wong watched Stephen’s eyes tearing up, and although tears did not fall, it must have taken great will power. Even Wong got emotional thinking about that day and their losses. It was a hard burden to bear.

“Listen to me going on and on. I know I’m not the only one who lost that day.”

Wong remains silent, looking at him, before deciding on his words carefully.

“You're the one who lost the most and survived, but you are correct. You’re not the only one who lost.”

Stephen gave a half-hearted smile, and Wong knew that he felt a little bit lighter. Only Wong felt the opposite and sharing everything with Stephen would be awkward and uncomfortable. He never learned to really share with others unless he considered them part of his family. The only exception to this rule had been Karl.

“I know you were close to Karl before he left. He told me you were friends, but I didn’t think that he would have told you about us. He was always so paranoid about being found out,” Stephen said with a bitter laugh.

It sounded like Karl. He had always been a stickler for rules and anything that came close to rule breaking. In a way, Karl’s relationship with Stephen probably did not help him in the end. Especially remembering how Kaecilius taunted the man about losing Stephen. Karl’s feelings had always been obvious to others, but Karl had never thought so.

“It wasn’t against the rules, but your relationship would have been highly frowned upon. There was a power imbalance.” 

“Come on. We were both adults.”

Wong smiled sadly at Stephen’s assumption.

“Yes, but most come to Kamar-Taj not as whole people. They normally have something wrong in their hearts.”

“Kamar-Taj collects broken things,” Stephen murmured, reflecting on Wong’s statement. 

Wong tilted his head thinking about the statement. It wasn’t wrong at all, but something about the way Stephen said it made it sound like there was a deeper meaning to the statement. Wong had seen so many of these people over the years, and broken was a good word to describe them. Kamar-Taj was the thing that filled most of them with hope and optimism. They could find meaning in their lives again, much like Stephen. The man didn’t know it at the moment, but his real battle had ended. He had a purpose, even if his heart was broken.

“As a master, you are free to do whatever you like, but if you ever take on a disciple, remember how you feel now. Do you think being with Karl has helped you?”

Although Karl was his friend, he couldn’t bring himself to lie that it hadn’t been a bad idea to get into a relationship with Stephen.

“No. You are right. It wasn’t equal, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Wong chuckled at that. There was something very engaging about Stephen’s way of thinking, and he had an underlying passion that drove him. Wong was starting to understand why Karl had found him attractive. Their conversation was a stimulating and enlightening one, and even Wong started to feel a bit better about the events of that day. It had been a while since he felt like he was connecting with someone, truly engaging at a core level. 

Stephen poured him another cup and smiled, looking up at Wong after he had finished. 

Taking the moment of silence to look around at the library, it seemed that Stephen had been settling in. It had been a long time since he had been inside of this sanctum and it was still his least favorite. It was a little messier than it had been with previous masters, but Stephen had been telling the truth when Wong first came; he was being a diligent master. Wong could tell by the various objects placed about the room, and the pile of texts near the desk.

As they continued to talk, mostly about other topics and questions Stephen had, Wong let time slip through his fingers. It was only when he had yawned for the seventh time in fifteen minutes that he decided it was time to head back to Kamar-Taj. Before going, he promised Stephen that he would be back in a shorter period of time than before.

When he left, he glanced back at Stephen, who was not exactly smiling, but at least looking much more relaxed than before. He too felt better, although he was still burdened by his complex feelings on the matters they had talked about. It had been a very deep, honest conversation at some points.

After going back to Kamar-Taj, he sought out Master Hamir, knowing the man would want to know about what had happened. They didn’t have a Sorcerer Supreme, but as the de facto elder at Kamar-Taj, most of the remaining masters had looked to the man for guidance, including Wong.  Although they could refuse the sorcerer, that rarely happened. The only one who had done so was Stephen, who insisted in staying in New York when they tried to recall him. It had caused quite a commotion at the time, but Stephen persuaded them all that it was what the Ancient One had wanted. After today, Wong could see that it had been a wiser decision than sending him somewhere else with all of his combativeness.

Wong knocked on Master Hamir’s door waking him. He really had stayed at the New York Sanctum until it was much too late. It was not an ideal situation to wake the master at such an hour, but being ever so much the gentleman, Hamir invited him in for some tea. Wong hadn’t been inside the chambers since they were the Ancient One’s, and they had now been stripped down to the basics. Gone was the warmth from the rooms, replaced with simplicity. It felt much like Kamar-Taj itself these days.

Master Hamir waited for him to begin after they had exchanged typical pleasantries.

“Strange is doing better than expected. He is just difficult, as we are all well aware. Stubborn, but not without cause.”

“The last master I had sent said he thought Strange was suicidal.”

“I think he is tired. Mentally he is struggling, but not much more than the rest of us. He is made of strong stuff.”

It was his true opinion. Strange was tired from all the things that had plagued him, but he was not desperate like he had been when he first entered Kamar-Taj. That man had been festering with obsession and rejected his reality. Although Strange was in pain, he was not like that man.

“Still. It seems that you have gotten more out of him than the rest. I think it might be best for you to stay with him for a while.”

Wong closed his eyes briefly, feeling slightly stressed by the request. It was a lot to ask from Wong, but he didn’t know how he could refuse such a request. As a senior master, he knew that it was expected of him to take on some extra responsibilities in these difficult times. Deep down inside, all he had wanted was to return to the Hong Kong Sanctum, where he was before he had been made the librarian and then right hand man of Master Hamir. It was where he was most comfortable, while the New York Sanctum was probably the place he would feel the least comfortable in.

Even though he had felt comfortable with Stephen that night, he was still wary of the man, as they were quite different, but he could not use that as the basis of refusal. Instead he just nodded, cursing his position and obligations. 

“Rest and then in the morning gather your things,” Master Hamir urged.

Wong nodded before showing himself out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wong and Stephen start to live at the Sanctum together.

Moving in and adjusting to the time difference was not the most difficult part of being sent to the New York Sanctum. It was adjusting to Stephen and his presence. Stephen was the only one in the sanctum, and although they could avoid each other if they wanted to, Stephen did not want to. Wong also felt that he was responsible for him in some ways. He was the more knowledgeable of the two, and Stephen had a lot of questions. It was shocking how little he actually did know, and Wong could curse the Ancient One for planting the idea in Stephen’s head that he could be master of such a place. All of the previous masters had nearly a decade of experience before being placed in such a position. Now he was starting to see why Master Hamir worried; not only was the man’s sanity at risk, but the actual sanctum was at risk.

When Wong had adjusted to time difference and navigating the Sanctum, he found that Stephen didn’t comprehend some of the basics like altering the wards and casting monitoring spells every so often. The way the man also took care of himself was disturbing, keeping odd eating habits and neglecting chores that he deemed unworthy of his attention, like buying groceries. He was a clean man and very organized, except for the various books he was reading strewn about the place, but he exerted little energy in any other activity. Wong was pretty sure this was more due to his emotional state than anything else. At Kamar-Taj he at least took the time to do some more physical activity. After thinking about it though, that may have been more of Karl’s influence than Stephen’s desire, but as a master he couldn’t neglect that part of the job, and so Wong urged him to take up something in the mornings, such as yoga.

Although Wong normally practiced a style of Wushu in his youth, he had only recently switched to a more meditative Qigong, which was much easier to practice in the sanctum and a good start to the day.

Their days passed like this, with Wong and Stephen carrying out their duties, occasionally interacting with one another, especially when Wong needed to inform and Stephen needed to learn. At times he had his difficulties, as Stephen liked to challenge him, and Wong was not used to it. If Stephen had difficulties with Wong, he hid it well. Still he found himself becoming closer with Stephen, although they never talked about the elephants in the room.  

Ever since that first evening, they never talked about the Ancient One, Dormammu, or Karl, and that seemed to bother Stephen more than himself. He could tell Stephen was itching to talk about all of it again. There were times it almost seemed like he was going to bring it up, but always stopped short when Wong stared at him. To be honest, Wong preferred it to be that way. He had decided to try to lock all of his own feelings about those subjects deep within himself. His disappointment, pain, and sorrow was his and his alone. It was the way of things and he could only accept it. It felt right.

Then one night Stephen did something surprising, calling for Wong to join him in the study. It was unexpected and Stephen sounded like he was in a good mood. His voice had a bounce to it that it had lacked for quite a while. When he saw Stephen, he was smiling and standing in front of a record player with a stack of records.

“Did you know these were here inside the sanctum?” He asked excitedly.

Of course Wong had no idea. It wasn’t like he was privy to all of the secrets kept in these walls, but he wasn’t surprised given how many masters had passed through its corridors. There were many left over items in all of the sanctums and Kamar-Taj, just most of them hidden from plain sight.

“You like music, right?”

Wong reluctantly nodded his head at the seemingly stupid question. Most people liked some kind of music. Although he wasn’t sure what kind of music was in the stack of records.

“I haven’t seen a record player since I sold all my stuff. Here. You get some drinks and I’ll set it up. Days like this call for a little celebration.”

He seemed to be absolutely on cloud nine with the same excitement and joy a child would possess at finding a lost toy. Wong couldn’t help but smirk at this man he now cautiously considered his friend, mentally elevated from colleague only a few days ago.

It only took a few minutes to go and come back. After Wong had first come to the Sanctum, he had taken inventory of the pantry and had found a bottle of unopened scotch probably left by Daniel, as it had less dust on it than many of the other items. Bringing it back to the study, he found Stephen sitting in a chair, with the record already playing. The volume was low, and the sorcerer had a wide grin on his face. It made him glow; a look Wong hadn’t seen since the evening of that day Karl confessed that he had been seeing the man.

Wong didn’t recognize the music as it was quite a bit older, but it was nice. It was a woman singing some kind of jazz. Her voice oozed with deep emotion. It almost felt spiritual, very different from the music he normally listened to. It fit Stephen though, or at least how he had been the last few weeks.

Setting down the glasses and bottle between them, Stephen moved to pour them some of the liquid. Wong knew he was a little sensitive about other people doing these kinds of things for him, and although Wong was more than willing, he gave way to Stephen’s ego.

“What is this?” Wong asked.

“Nina Simone’s _I Put a Spell on You_. There’s other more contemporary stuff, but I thought this is appropriate,” Stephen smirked, emphasizing the album title.

Wong rolled his eyes and shook his head. Stephen could be ridiculous at times, and it reminded him of the first time they had met.

Stephen regained his attention by raising his glass, before they sipped on the amber liquid, burning on it’s way down. He knew in a few minutes his face would be splotched with pink patches, as it always happened that way, even with very little to drink. He wasn't a weak drinker; it was only an allergic reaction, but Stephen would know that, and he felt greatful that at least he would not be teased like Karl had teased him the first time they drank together.

It had been a very long time since he had had some alcohol, not since he had last visited family more than a year ago. Still, this was much better than the Baijiu that his family tended to drink. He couldn’t stand the stuff, and was glad that he wasn’t forced to go that often. It was difficult to keep up with some of the uncles that kept his glass filled to the brim.

He closed his eyes for a second taking in the sounds of the environment with the smells. Losing himself in memories, he only opened his eyes again when Stephen started to speak.

“I missed this. I missed just listening to music and unwinding. It’s been more than a year now. Time has seemed to slip through my fingers.”

Wong nodded, letting the man ramble on. He was clearly happy and feeling comfortable, even though the alcohol had yet to hit. In turn Wong started to relax, feeling the tension leave his shoulders for the first time in days. He really hated the quietness of this sanctum. The music did make it better.

“You really enjoy music, don’t you? I remember when you started talking about famous musicians like I was an idiot who never left Kamar-Taj,” Wong chided.

“Yea, sorry. I sort of realized my mistake after that. I thought you hated me for the longest time. Every time I went to the library, I wasn’t sure if you were going to curse me or maim me,” he laughed.

The sound was foreign to him, as it had been so long since he heard the man laugh, but it was good to hear. It was much better than the hums of hesitation when they had their ‘discussions’.

“I did hate you for a long time. You were annoying. Frankly I would still hate you if you hadn’t shown your true character that day in Hong Kong. It’s much harder to stay and fight than to run. I have to admire that.”

“I do grow on people,” Stephen replied smugly.

“Indeed, you do.”

Stephen was right. Once he let his cockiness slip away and started to act like a real human being, he did grow on Wong. Wong had to admit he had heart. No wonder Karl had fallen in love with him. Now that he could see it too, he understood how charismatic the man could be in his own awkward way. Although it took some time to get past the arrogant shell, there was someone worth getting to know.

In the background the faint sound of the record running out started to sound, and Stephen flipped it over. Pausing before sitting down, his face fell. The smile he had on disappeared as he thought about something. Wong sighed, watching the man struggle with himself once again.

“Sometimes it’s so stupid, but I miss him randomly. I have to admit, I have rarely allowed myself to love in my life. It only leads back to this.”

Wong knew there was really nothing he could say to make the man feel better, but he had to say something.

“He was my friend and he did not love lightly either, but that’s enough of that though. Put on something happier. You’re getting sentimental now.”

Stephen moved to put on something different and Wong was glad. It made the air thicker between them. The new record was something more boisterous, more fitting to the man Stephen once was.

Karl wasn’t someone he wanted to think or talk about. Stephen knew that, but he also knew that Stephen could help it. It was in his impulsive nature to push boundaries he knew existed. Wong couldn’t blame him, but at the same time, he didn’t want to uncover his own wounds. Instead he just ignored it.

“Are we friends?” Stephen asked suddenly and sheepishly.

“Yes, I think so. If you want to be.”

He had already considered Stephen a friend, even if they were still trying to figure out each other's quirks.

“Yea, I would like that. I don’t have many this days.”

Stephen sat back in his chair, emptied his glass and closed his eyes, a sweet smile spreading across his face. Wong smile sadly in response. The small things in life really shouldn’t make them feel so contented. So many others strived for grand, exciting adventures, but for them these quiet moments were all they yearned for. Had someone told him life would be like this when he first entered Kamar-Taj, Wong might have ran away at the time. Now it was too late, everything had become normalized and he couldn’t picture a different life.

Wong also emptied his glass, taking in the music that played. Although it wasn’t his normal fair, it was rather enjoyable. He was glad that Stephen and him did this, and he thought that they might have to do it again in the future.

When the record was finished, Wong quietly left the room. Stephen had fallen asleep, and Wong knew how badly he had slept, so he didn’t want to disturb him. Instead he brought the glasses and the half full bottle down stairs before retiring for the night. His sleep was dreamless and uninterrupted for the first time in a long time. It was rejuvenating.

The next day when he had entered the study, the phonograph was gone and so was Stephen. He must have woken up in the middle of the night and straightened the room back to its original condition. Smirking to himself, he had a hunch that Stephen was feeling a bit better. Something seemed to click last night, not only for Stephen, but for him as well, and he started to feel something he hadn’t felt for a long time- a deep personal connection. Part of him recoiled from the thought that it was with Stephen, but it was overridden by the happiness he hadn’t felt since before Kaecilius had taken the head of the librarian. In some ways his coming to the Sanctum was a blessing in disguise. Although he was now here to help Stephen adjust, he finally felt at peace as he didn’t have to constantly interact with others. He missed some people he was friendly with, but he actually had time to himself and even started to read for pleasure once again.

When he did finally see Stephen, he was in the kitchen, trying to make what Wong assumed was a late breakfast or early lunch. Over the past few weeks he had started to look better, filling his robes out more. It was good to see.

Today he even had a smile on his face, and although it was not a genuine one, at least the dark circles under his eyes appeared to recede. They were also a little more lively when Wong looked into them. Wong gave him a slight smile as he sat down, pouring himself some tea from the kettle.

“Feeling better?” Wong asked.

“Much. I think you may find me with the record player often. Although I have a lot of songs on my phone or computer, it’s not the same as a physical copy.”

Wong nodded. Like books, somethings needed to be touched and felt, physically and emotionally. In this case Stephen needed to hear the soft feedback from the worn records.

He watched Stephen as he seemed light on his feet, and plated whatever he had been cooking. Surprisingly he also gave Wong a portion of whatever he had made. Wong wasn’t quite sure what it was and politely picked at it as Stephen ate his.

“I have to go to Kamar-Taj later today to see Master Hamir.”

Wong didn’t want to bring it up, as it may be his last day at the New York Sanctum, and he found himself not wanting it to be the last day. He was wary to go to Kamar-Taj.

“Ah, okay.”

They spent the rest of the meal in silence, and Stephen seemed to be a little more subdued than minutes before. Wong knew that Stephen was bracing himself for the fact that he might find himself alone once again. Normally the masters had visitors, but not long-term guests or other masters with them.

The day passed fairly quickly and uneventfully, and Wong found himself in Kamar-Taj before he knew it, but as he walked through the place, everything felt different from before. The students had started to wake and bustle about, but there seemed to be less of them than before. It was not surprising, as Karl was the one who normally recruited students. He had a gift for it and the Ancient One had encouraged him up until Kaecilius turned on them. It was almost miraculous that she accepted Stephen.

It wasn’t just the numbers, but the atmosphere felt different. Their voices seemed lower and more somber.

Wong started to worry about the state of things with no Sorcerer Supreme, and he wondered what was taking the Vishanti so long. Were there no viable candidates? Or maybe there was a Sorcerer Supreme that they had not idea about. It was possible that next one could be a practitioner of a different sort of magical arts.

Knocking on Master Hamir’s door, he waited only a second or two before the man opened it to let him in. They sat together for a moment, making customary small talk before they got to the real reason Wong was there.

“How is Master Strange doing?”

“He is faring well, but I’m afraid there are still many things that he will need to cover in order to progress.”

It was stretching the truth, and although Stephen did have a lot to learn, there was no real reason he should be taught those things. He had a good grasp of what he needed to know now, and Wong did not really need to be there.

For the first time in Wong’s life, he was not concerned about the whole, and the guilt started to take over. This was not how he had been raised.

“Something bothers you. Is it about Master Strange? I know you will have to endure a little longer, but soon you will be back.”

He shook his head.

“No, nothing bothers me at this time. I am just tired.”

Master Hamir was not the same as the Ancient One, and although he had picked up some of her habits, he was not Sorcerer Supreme material. It seemed like a burden to him as well to take on this role. It added to Wong’s guilt.

“Well, just make sure that Master Strange learns thoroughly.”

Wong nodded, and made for the door before pausing. He hesitated for a moment.

“He is able to learn on his own. He has the ability to do that.”

He felt the pressure that rested on his chest lift as he gave his report in full. Although he had tried to hide that detail, in the end he couldn’t bring himself to omit it. Everyone was making sacrifices, and so should he.

Wong turned back to look at Master Hamir, who stood up from his seat, looking at Wong seriously with an inquisitive expression.

“Still, best to be safe rather than sorry.”

The reaction was surprising, and Master Hamir smiled sadly at Wong. Wong meekly nodded his head before taking his leave. It was curious reaction, and for a minute he wondered how close he had actually been to the Ancient One. It almost felt like it was her telling him this, his motives for send Wong back unclear. Surely it would be better if Master Hamir had more help, but he wasn’t about to argue.

When Wong went back to the sanctum with Master Hamir’s blessing, he felt a little lighter. He really didn’t want to leave his place here. It was finally becoming comfortable. Frankly he also didn’t want to go back to Kamar-Taj as well with the changes that had befallen it. As he thought about it, he decided that was one of the reasons Master Hamir had sent him back to New York. He could tell Wong had been struggling at Kamar-Taj after the death of the Sorcerer Supreme.

He walked through the halls in order to seek out Stephen. Most likely the man was either in the library or the study, and sure enough he was in the study again. Wong could hear the music coming from the room.

As he pushed open the door, Stephen was sitting there, a pitcher of water on the desk and a book open. He recognized it as a book about highly specialized summoning spells. Always the diligent student, Stephen didn’t even look up until Wong was nearly standing over him.

“I thought you would be going,” Stephen said, not looking up.

“Kamar-Taj seems not to need me. I’ll be here for a little while longer.”

Stephen looked up at him giving a weak smile, and Wong was unsure if he meant it or if he was being polite. Even though they had declared their friendship, it was hard to tell how friendly they actually were. Wong had a feeling that he was starting to feel more attached than Stephen, and thought that maybe he should hold back until he was sure that Stephen was truly a friend.

“We could work through that record collection,” Stephen suggested.

“I think we have to work on your cooking skills before we do that.”

Stephen cocked his head in surprised, it was a complaint that he had not levied at Stephen before. Apparently the man thought his cooking was passable. Grinning, Stephen got up.

“Sounds like a challenge. Come on Masterchef, show me what you’ve got,” Stephen teased.

And so they headed to the kitchen. Wong feeling like he had found a home once again.

\----

It took a while for them to develop their standard routine and an easier rapport with one another. Having been working and living so closely with only one other person had been a test for both of them, and they seemed to have passed that test at this point. They had to learn how to balance it all, but eventually they did find the balance. Slowly, Stephen was surpassing Wong in his knowledge of sorcery, but Wong still bested him in a great many other things. Gradually he also noticed a change in the other master. Gone was the sullen man that oozed the angst from his heartbreak and trauma, replaced by a pleasant man with a very cheesy sense of humor. It had changed from an irritating trait to one that was endearing now. At times he even admired Stephen’s borderline arrogant confidence, when it was not causing arguments between them. Some things remained inevitable.

Every few days they even found themselves in the study with the record player. If Wong had to make a guess, it probably belong to a master who had spent much of the 90’s in the sanctum until he wound up having a heart attack at a young age. The others that came after him never lived there long enough to warrant having such an object.

There had always been rumors of his ghost haunting the place and that was why masters never stayed so long, but Wong had dismissed them. To be honest, the place started to feel like just another sanctum, and Wong was even starting to feel attached to it.

Stephen and him sat in their respective chairs, letting the music do the talking. Watching Stephen enjoy himself, closing his eyes while tilting his head back, Wong started to feel his chest tighten in response. The way the light fell made him look attractive with his goatee framing his mouth. Wong closed his eyes for a moment, a sense of panic rising up in him.

In a way, he knew that it had been slowly creeping up on him; these moments of domesticity would drive anyone to briefly consider the possibility of a romantic entanglement. Before, he had tried so hard to push it from his mind as they went about their business, but he had to admit it now.

For a second he damned the music. It was not helping, as it was the same record that they had listened to about a month before when they had found it. He couldn’t help but recall that was the first time Wong felt they had truly connected. That day, Stephen had broken the barrier that Wong had erected between them. Before then, Wong assumed Stephen had been in the wrong. Now Wong knew that he had really been in the wrong, driven by jealousy of this man for stealing and driving away his good friend. It was remarkable how grey things had become.

“Fitting,” Stephen laughed suddenly, “ _Feeling Good_. Oh it’s been so long since I felt like this.”

Wong opened his eyes to see the man grinning ear to ear, his eyes sparkling in the low light. Wong’s stomach heaved a little at the sight from the butterflies in them, but he sat there and looked at Stephen, guarding his emotions as if they were precious jewels in front of a thief.

“It’s a fleeting feeling,” Wong replied.

He had to remind himself of that. He needed to keep it together, for the sake of the both of them.

“Yes, it’s why we have to indulge in it.”

Stephen voice had changed, the tone was different. It had some emotion lurking underneath that Wong could not quite place.

Watching Stephen as he got up and placed his water glass down on the coaster of the desk, Wong sat at the edge of the chair. It was getting late. They would probably be heading to bed soon, and Wong was glad for it, as he suddenly wanted to be alone.

Stephen walked in front of where he sat and stood, looking down at Wong with a curious expression, almost a puzzled look, as if he couldn’t figure something out.

It happened quickly. Wong’s mind didn’t process it at first, and only when his mouth was parting, letting Stephen’s tongue inside, did it compute that they were kissing. It hit him that Stephen was kissing him and must have felt the same about Wong as Wong did about him.

It ended almost as quickly as it had happened, with Stephen standing up, smiling a self-satisfied smile. Wong sighed and couldn’t help but smirk as well. It had been quite the surprise.

Rising to his feet, Wong returned the kiss, this time longer and deeper, and Stephen reacted by melding his body against Wong's. Wong stopped for a moment and looked into Stephen’s face, his eyes half lidded and his mouth slightly parted and plump. Their soft peaks seem to call to him again, but he resisted the temptation knowing that it would not be wise to move too fast.

A little nagging thought in the back of his head also knew that it was probably unwise to start. Even if they did not the same problems as being master and student, it was never a good idea to start something with colleagues. He had seen so many of Kamar-Taj romances go sour over the time that he had been there. Wong could handle himself and Stephen probably could as well, but it was an unstable time to start such a thing.

Wong place a hand on Stephen’s chest to urge him to cease. He knew that Stephen would dive in head first without looking if Wong allowed him. It was in his nature, but counter to Wong’s.

“Go to bed, Stephen. I will see you in the morning.”

Stephen raised his eyebrow, questioning Wong, but reluctantly followed his suggestion.

“Sleep well,” Stephen called as he closed the door.

Wong sat back down in the chair, thinking about what had transpired, and deeply considered what could happen to them in the future. Wondering if it was worth it all, he eventually decided that he needed to at least try. The worst that could happen was he would go the way Karl had and just leave. Being honest with himself, he knew that he probably would have left as well if he hadn’t been sent to the New York Sanctum. It had been a blessing in disguise and something told him this too would turn out fine.

Tracing his lips with his finger, he let himself indulge in the memory of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning started like most others, but something different happened as Wong made himself some breakfast. Stephen lightly touched his shoulder before giving him a small kiss on the cheek. It startled Wong out of his thoughts, and he jumped a little from the sudden action. It was unexpected and Wong was wary of the overture. He didn’t know how to go about this, as it was new territory in some ways. He had never started a romance with someone he was already living with, although there had been opportunities before, his common sense prevailed in those cases. In this case he found he just couldn’t help himself. Stephen was infectious. Wong was so used to having long distance romances, or infrequent dates that actually living with a lover seemed like a strange, uncomfortable reality that was best left to stories.

He turned around from the pot he was standing in front of to look at Stephen smiling at him. He looked genuinely happy, and whatever Wong was going to say he promptly forgot, turning back around to look at the pot. He then felt arms wrap around his torso, and Stephen rest his head on Wong’s shoulder; Stephen’s steady breathing teasing his neck.

He was moving too fast, or he was just too affectionate. Wong wasn’t sure which disturbed him about the situation.

“Stephen…”

The arms unwrapped themselves, freeing Wong for the moment.

“What?”

Stephen’s tone was playful, as if he knew that he was pushing limits that should not be pushed.

“You need to really think about if you want to do this. It could wind up like before, with one of us or both of us hurt, and then what would we do?”

“Survive. Why? Don’t you want to do this?”

Of course Wong wanted this. If he was going to reject Stephen, Stephen would know and know quickly. However, Stephen was the one reeling from messy break-up, not him.

Wong turned off the burner before turning to face Stephen.

“I want this, but I do not do things lightly. You have to think about that as well. I am not someone who can dive head first into anything. You will have to be patient.”

Stephen looked at him not in surprise, but with an attentiveness that reminded Wong of when he was a student; the days when Wong frequently told him off for some indiscretion.

Sighing, he turned back to fix his breakfast, and he heard Stephen pull out his chair to sit across from where Wong normally sat. Wong sat across from him, and when they were facing one another, he tried not to keep looking at Stephen, but Stephen kept watching him. It was distracting as he was trying to eat his breakfast. Putting down his spoon, he looked up at Stephen.

“I want this too. I won’t push you,” Stephen stated.

Wong nodded. It wasn’t an unexpected response, and Wong had warned him. It was always awkward for him in the beginning. He didn’t really know how to go from being friends or friendly into a full blown relationship. It was one of the reasons he normally did not peruse people who were closer to him, much preferring blind dates or chance meetings.

The rest of the day, Stephen and him kept their distance, but Stephen frequently crept into his thoughts. His mind kept thinking about what they were doing and what he would like them to do in the future. Things were a little more complex together, but he felt like it was the right time for this. Had they started too soon or too late, Wong knew they would have never worked.

When he did see Stephen in the evening, it seemed that Stephen had listened and thought about what Wong had said. Things seemed normal, and Stephen didn’t make any grand romantic gestures like in the morning. The only thing he did was stand a little closer when they were washing the dishes together, occasionally brushing his arm against Wong’s. It almost seemed to serve as a reminder that they were actually together both in presence and spirit.

After they retired to library, sitting on the same chaise settee tucked in the corner,  they read or at least he was reading as Stephen was only pretending to read.

“Five minutes. Only five,” Wong said, sighing.

Stephen tilted his head in confusion, and then grinned as Wong put down his book before practically draping himself over Stephen’s frame. Stephen was not expecting it, but when he realized what Wong wanted, he greedily positioned himself so that it was easier for their mouths to meet.

As they kissed, he felt Stephen stroking at his sides despite the amount of clothes they were both wearing. Wong ran his finger’s through Stephen’s hair, and time seemed to slip away from him. It was longer than five minutes when Wong reluctantly pulled himself away. Stephen’s mouth was red, and he opened his eyes slowly, looking as though he wanted to devour Wong right then and there.

Anyone could tell that Stephen had had many partners, and previously Wong thought it was because he was attractive, but now he knew it was in his expressions and his eyes. At that moment, he felt like he was the only one Stephen had ever lusted after in his life. The look on his face made Wong feel like there had never been and would never be another person in the world for Stephen. It was intoxicating.

He took a moment, looking away, and he picked his book back up, not saying a word. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stephen smirk. It was maddening. After scolding the man in the morning for not being patient, how could his feelings in the evening be so different?

Wong stood up from his spot. He knew that he couldn’t stay in the room anymore with Stephen being the way he was. His tousled hair fell on his forehead, and he almost looked like a wolf watching a sheep. Wong tucked the book under arm.

“You won’t break me, Stephen.”

“Break you?”

“I’m not going to jump into bed with you like a teenager with their parents away for the evening.”

“Never said I wanted that.”

His eyes said he did, and all Wong could do is smirk and tilt his head downward in disbelief as he left the room. Stephen could play dumb all he wanted. They both knew what he was really up to.

The next morning was similar to the day before with them waking and meeting in the kitchen. Only this time Stephen didn’t try to drape himself over Wong, but he did continue to stare at him at regular intervals when they were in the same room. After breakfast, Wong still tried to keep his distance, as they both had their own work to do. In the evening though, they came together with Stephen calling him into the study.

Wong felt like a teenager again, with the way that Stephen looked at him. Despite his age, Stephen had a rather youthful approach to courtship, with stolen touches and kisses as a record played. Although Wong had never experienced this kind of thing in his youth, he had seen enough of it on tv or in movies to know that it was a common occurrence.

For him, his youth was filled with little moments in the far off hills that surrounded his hometown. At the time, he lied to his grandparents he had taken up an interest in trekking. His grandmother always glance at him with an amused disapproval, remarking on how he would get too many spots if he stayed in the sun too long. He knew that she knew, but it was something that would never be spoken of or even hinted at. She also made sure that he knew it was expected that he would marry and have children. How disappointing he would be to her if she were alive.

As Stephen nipped at his neck, drawing a gasp from him, he thought about how she would feel if she ever met Stephen. How unamused she would have been with the man. Although she had been proud of him to enter Kamar-Taj, he had a feeling she would have not approved of most of the people there. The one time she had met the Ancient One when he first started, she nearly had a heart attack.

Wong nudged Stephen off of him, staring into his determined face. He laughed a little at the sight, and Stephen looked at him in confusion.

“You know, you don’t have to play hard to get. Surely we’re past the point of pretending to be blushing virgins,” Stephen urged.

Wong shook his head. Stephen wouldn’t understand it, even though he would respect Wong’s wishes.

“If all I wanted was sex from you, I would have had it a long time ago.”

“So what do you want from me?” Stephen asked playfully.

“A relationship, companionship, someone who can understand and let me be myself.”

Wong knew that his serious expression contrasted with Stephen’s previous question, and his face reflected that by matching Wong’s. He seemed to seriously consider this, and Wong watched as subtle changes in Stephen’s face told him that Wong’s answer was deeper than what Stephen had been thinking off. It seemed that Stephen hadn’t thought too much about what they were doing or what the end goal was. It wasn’t surprising in the least bit, the man had seemed to live from day to day, much as they all did. Sometimes though, they had to think about living for something.

“That sounds nice,” Stephen replied softly.

Wong brought his arms up to wrap around Stephen, pulling him down for another kiss.

\------

Wong lasted about a week and a half longer before sleeping with Stephen. There had come a point where those ‘five minute’ kissing sessions had turned into something more meaningful that the first few days of pent up lust. It became about the small touches: a hand on his knee or Stephen leaning against him as they read, or the moments where Stephen would try to make him laugh at one of his stupid jokes. These little events wore on his will power to take things slowly. Granted, because they lived together, it was not very fast in the grand scheme of things, but it was faster than he normally went. Stephen Strange had a way of invading his thoughts and dreams like no other had before. Surprisingly, he welcomed this.

Wong wasn’t one for all consuming passions where one could barely breathe from their heart bursting. For him, Stephen had made their beginnings feel like he was slowly being deprived of oxygen, similar to mountain sickness. His heart was plagued with affection. He wouldn’t dare call it love at this point, but it was not a quick infatuation either.

As he wrapped Stephen up in his embrace, he thought about how lived for these shared experiences in the morning and evening. He reveled in these touches of intimacy that had begun to seep into their daily lives. Without prying eyes, he found his heart to be freer than it had ever been.

Stephen indulged him readily, and although at times his persistence was irritating, Stephen had taken great care into fostering a balance. It was obvious that his caution was in reaction to that first conversation they had and probably he also didn’t push as hard as Wong expected because of his previous relationship with Karl.

“What are you thinking about?” Stephen asked.

His shaking hand made circles on Wong’s chest while his body wrapped around the stockier man’s frame.

“Nothing of importance, only how I enjoy this.”

Stephen smiled and Wong pressed a kiss to the man’s forehead. He liked the feeling of Stephen’s head resting on his shoulder.

“I just want to stay in bed all day.”

Stephen stretched out before curling back up around him, much like a cat. It was an apt description for the man, who looked up at him with a mischievous grin. He reminded Wong of the the little cheep figures they sold to tourist at the Temple Street Night Market.

“Lazy,” Wong chided half-heartedly.

Wong curled his head down, capturing Stephen’s mouth for a kiss.

The thought of getting ready was irritating, but one that lurked in the back of his head. Like Stephen, he also didn’t make a move to get ready for the day. It wasn’t as though they had much on their plate at the moment. Most of their days were spent doing simple tasks with Stephen reading, meditating, doing some yoga, and Wong was often busy with some research, Qigong, and going through the correspondence. They tried to divvy up the chores evenly, but Stephen was still absolute garbage at cooking. Wong tended to urge him do the laundry and the dishes.

It almost felt odd how quiet it had been, and he tried not to think about it, as he didn’t want to jinx it.

“I notice you haven’t moved yet either,” Stephen shot back.

Wong smirked, tilting his head back onto the pillow. He was getting there, but like Stephen said, all he wanted to do is stay in bed all day. It was if the man made him forget all of the discipline he had during the many years he had been a sorcerer. In all honesty, Stephen made him feel like a young man again. Although he was not old, the past year had been a very difficult one, aging him more than he liked.

Eventually they did get up and went their separate directions, switching rooms in the middle of the day. It was much better if they were apart for most of the day, preventing any friction from developing. They were for the most part very independent people.

The day was quiet and uneventful, with only a few letters and emails of correspondence that came in. As New York was in a very different timezone than Kamar-Taj, Hong Kong, and London, things did not start to pick up into later in the evening or in the early hours in the morning. If he were honest, it was a bit irritating, but of course they could not change it.

The only surprise came when the day was finishing, and before Stephen and Wong settled in for the evening. It was right before they normally came together for dinner, and Wong was walking to go fetch Stephen at the time when he heard the bell for the door. It was unexpected, but not out of the ordinary, as sometimes people came to them with odd inflictions brought on by demons or low level magic users.

Making his way to the door, he suddenly had a very odd feeling, and he looked back at Stephen, who now stood at the top of the stairs with his cloak flailing slightly. It was an strange sight, as it tended to rest at Stephen’s side. Wong tilted his head, and Stephen looked a bit anxious, probably from the cloak’s behavior. Even Wong felt a little nervous from it. Reaching for the doorknob, he was at the ready just in case. He could hear Stephen also making his way down the stairs, quickly.

When he opened the door, he gasped. Standing in a plain jacket and trousers was Karl, his hair slightly longer than he normally kept it and a beard. It was odd to see him like this, so casual, and all Wong could do was stare.

After closing his mouth, he squared his jaw in response as anger flowed through his veins. Part of him wished he hadn’t even opened the door, and he froze where he stood.

“Karl…” Stephen whispered from behind him.

Wong felt his stomach give a lurch as Stephen spoke, his voice filled with multiple emotions fighting for dominance.

“Well, are you going to let me in? Or are you so petty as to turn me away?” Karl asked, his expression serious.

Deep down inside Wong would have liked nothing more than to shut the door and head back to Kamar-Taj, as he felt the months it had taken him and Stephen to get to this point were about to pulled out from under them. Dread filled Wong as he simply stepped aside. He could see that this was not the man he had known as his friend. This person in front of him was someone completely different. His friend, with his soft expressions and patience, had been replaced with someone very much like the young man who had shown up on Kamar-Taj’s door asking for protection all those many years ago.

Stephen stood by his side, unmoving. His cloak was a different story and seemed hug its master a little tighter than normal. They both looked at Karl.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Stephen growled.

“I have had some time to think, and I’ve decided that I may have been a little too rash in my reaction. I had gone to Kamar-Taj looking for Wong, but they had informed me he was here with you.”

The shock was evident on both his and Stephen’s faces. The energy in the room seemed to change. It was unexpected to say the least, and in Wong’s case it was an unwanted visit.

“And what do you expect? Us to welcome you with open arms?” Wong finally managed to cooly reply.

It took all his strength to keep it together. He really wanted to shout and yell, but that was not how he was raised. Controlling one’s self had been a basic law in his childhood home. This was one of the times he cursed his grandparents for instilling such a sense of propriety.

“Wong,” Stephen said hesitantly.

He also wanted to turn on Stephen at that moment. Fearing for the loss of the relationship that they had cultivated, he decided to calmly take leave of the room.

Not storming off was the hardest thing that he had done, because he really didn’t want to hear anything from anyone as he headed to the kitchens, his sanctum within the Sanctum. There he could be at peace, at least for a little while, as he left Stephen to tend to the other sorcerer.

When he got there, he began to boil a kettle, watching it as the water came to a roiling boil. The water looked like how he felt, and with a frustrated sigh he tried to go through some of the stress relief techniques he knew. In all honesty, he wanted to throw Karl out, to forbid him to be here, but he knew that he did not have the power to do such a thing. Instead Wong made up his mind to go and tell Master Hamir that his time with Strange was finished, and the Karl was more than competent to help the man. It would be best this way. Even though he knew that Karl still harbored some animosity towards the other man, Wong knew in his heart that Karl would never be able to truly shut Stephen out. He also knew that despite Stephen’s attraction to Wong, it was not the romance that he had with Karl. Eventually Wong would have to go, and like changing a bandage, it was better to do it sooner rather than later. Contemplating it made Wong’s heart start to crack, and he knew eventually it would shatter.

He tried to focus his energy on his actions, pushing away the pain the best he could. As he steeped the tea, he watched as the color spread out, darkening the water. Faint wisps of steam rose up and it reminded him of his grandmother, a trained fortune teller. Smiling, he remembered once how he laughed at her traditional ways, but now he wished for those simpler times, when she would pat him on his head, giving him some pocket money to go to the local market to buy something. Perhaps she would have been able to foresee this.

He began to think that maybe he would go back there. Although his grandparent’s had been gone for many years, and the town had grown with the industrialization that had swept the country during the time that he had been at Kamar-Taj, he could probably eek out a living doing so called ‘mysticism’. There were many that kept the old ways, and since he was an actual sorcerer, he could be of use. These days even the government had stopped hunting them, only concerned with the country's growth.

Resting his head in his hand, he contemplated the future until he had heard footsteps. He hoped that it was Stephen rather than Karl, and sure enough it was. The man entered, his face red, as if he had been shouting, or crying, or maybe a mixture of both. It would not be surprising given the suddenness of their situation.

Wong turned away. He didn’t want to deal with Stephen right now, even though it was slightly better than dealing with Karl.

“Dinner?” Wong asked.

His tone was surprisingly steady for all the underlying emotion that he was feeling.

“How can you even suggest something like that right now?”

Stephen was very unobservant sometimes. Wong didn’t want to talk.

“The world continues. I’m guessing he will stay?”

“Master Hamir had decided that it might be good for him to stay here. Without a Sorcerer Supreme, it’s hard to argue,” Stephen responded quietly.

“Yes. I have been thinking of that, and I think I’m going to request some time for myself. You don’t need three masters here.”

“What?!”

There was panic in his voice.

“I need you here. Karl be damned, this house is big enough,” Stephen added.

Wong watched him as his face started to change color, clearly getting overly emotional thinking about the prospect of Wong leaving. It was flattering, but he knew that Stephen was only reacting to the situation and his suggestion. In a few days, the wheels would start turning in his head, and he would start to realize how much he had missed Karl. Karl too, although currently hostile towards Stephen, would start to understand that he still was in love with the man. It was the way of things normally worked out in his life.

Stephen sat across from him, trying to keep it together. It was hard on both of them.

“Damn him. Damn him for showing up like this. I knew that something would happen soon, but I could never predict something like this. All he wants to do is talk with you, and I don’t want him to. You’re mine now, and I know how much he hurt you.”

He sat up straighter in his chair. He was taken aback by Stephen’s confession, as well as Stephen’s possessive statement. How little did he know of Stephen’s true feelings until this point. He never expressed himself like this before, but Wong also knew that he may just reacting, finding it hard to believe that he could affect someone like that. Although he felt a many things for Stephen, he could never make such a statement, as something would always hold him back. At times it was shocking how much the man could share.

Wong smiled sadly. Part of him liked the idea of Stephen wanted to protect him, but it was bittersweet he felt the need to protect Wong from Karl.

“I had no idea you felt that way.”

“Of course I feel this way. I wouldn't have started anything with another person if I doubted myself.”

Suddenly he felt overwhelmed with warm, fuzzy feelings. Wong wanted to take him upstairs and show how grateful he was, yet something still nagged him in the depth of his heart.

“What about Karl? How do you feel about him?”

Stephen fell quiet, hesitating to speak. Wong searched his expression for clues and hints to how he was feelings, finding only confusion and hurt. He wasn’t sure if was because of Wong’s question or his feelings.

“I made my peace with what happened. There is nothing between us anymore. He made that very clear that day in Hong Kong. I also not interested at this point. I love you.”

Matters of the heart and the the head were two separate matters, as Wong well knew. Although he casually mentioned love, Wong knew that love was not a clear cut issue. It’s why he had never said the words to anyone outside of his family and even with his family those words rarely passed his lips.

“And you?” Stephen asked quietly.

“Hurt, angry, annoyed at his audacity to come marching back in here like that, as if we would welcome him back with open arms.”

Stephen looked at Wong, pain evident in his frown and furrowed brow. It seemed silly when he said it. How could Wong hold such a grudge against his oldest friend?

“What was he to you?” Stephen asked hesitantly.

“He was my best friend.”

Stephen nodded in response.

“I’m tired Stephen. I don’t want to talk or think about this anymore. Either we eat or I will go to bed,” Wong said with a hint of exasperation in his tone.

“I’ll make something.”

“Let’s just eat sandwiches tonight.”

“Hey! I’ve been getting better at it,” Stephen protested.

Wong smiled sadly at him, fixing another pot of tea as Stephen started to fix them some sandwiches. Truthfully, he was grateful for Stephen’s company and glad the man came to find him. It helped put some of his anxieties to rest.

After they ate and cleaned up, Wong went up to bed first. It wasn’t too late, but he could just hide away with a book for the moment. Stephen would be later and Wong was okay with that. He didn’t need a babysitter.

When Stephen did come, he stripped off his clothes, layer by layer, and got into bed. Sliding next to Wong, he curled up and embraced him, spooning him.

“Karl wants to talk to you tomorrow,” Stephen said softly.

“Fine. If we must live together, than so be it.”

“He is still angry with me. I think he’s starting to understand what happened though. I guess Master Hamir told him a little, and then I tried to explain.”

Wong moved away from him, turning over to look Stephen in the eye.

“You don’t need to explain yourself.”

“No, I want to make things okay between all of us. I mean, if we all are going to be here.”

He didn’t really understand it. It was not his job to do that and Wong wanted to protest for him to not waste his energy.

Stephen moved closer to kiss him, a small quick peck on the lips. His eyes begged Wong for understanding. Moving closer to Stephen, he propped himself on his side, dipping his head down for a proper kiss. They had kissed this morning, but it felt like ages ago, and this kiss had a tinge of pleading to it. Stephen pressed himself against Wong, stroking his chest.

Making a sound of disappointment as Wong pulled away, Stephen looked at him once more with those sad eyes he had earlier on, and Wong laid on his back again, not wanting to look at them. Closing his eyes, he felt Stephen curl up against him, and they quickly fell asleep.

The next morning things started like normal, except for the fact there was a third cup in the sink, and the dishes had been put back in the wrong place. There was honey for tea on the counter, and everything seemed a little more off. What Wong had hoped was a bad dream, was in reality now a truth; Karl, Stephen, and him were now living together for good or for bad. Although he did not see the man during the early morning, as Karl tended to wake early, exercise, and ready for the day, his presence was made known.

Wong felt a little more numb than the day before, starting to accept the truth. Struggling in silence, he headed to the library for a few things before retreating into one of the other rooms with the hope of avoiding everyone. However, when he opened the door, Karl was standing there picking through the stacks, still not wearing robes, but dressed rather casually like the day before. It was a jarring sight.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Karl called to him before he had a chance to flee.

There they were, in the library together. Wong quietly guarding his feelings, waiting for Karl to start. The man said that he had come to talk to Wong, and so Wong would let the other sorcerer do the talking. It wasn’t as if he had anything to say.

“I am sorry that I have been a bad friend the past months,” Karl began, “but even more sorry that I had never acted upon feelings that were in front of me the whole time.”

Wong narrowed his eyes, not understanding what Karl was getting at.

“Wong, I have thought a lot about my life recently, and I kept coming back to the same conclusion: I was foolish. I had been so focused on people who I craved love from… You see, before coming to Kamar-Taj, I never had a true friend and I had never known love. All this time I have been chasing my lustful, untrue feelings, when in reality you were there. I couldn’t even recognise that I was, and well frankly still am in love with you.”

Wong closed his eyes for a second. He knew that Karl had struggled that day in Hong Kong, but the man just came off as crazy at this point, spouting this nonsense about being in love with Wong. Wong didn’t believe it for a second, and although he had a crush on the man the first year or so when Karl entered Kamar-Taj, he knew they were good as friends. At least he was okay with being friends until that day Karl left them. That broke it for him. Maybe if he had tried to reach out shortly after, Wong could have forgiven him, but it had been ages of nothing. He had moved on.

“I am not a consolation prize you can pick up whenever you feel like it. At one time I may have considered the idea, but that was a very, very long time ago. Our friendship also ended when you left us. I have had a lot of time to come to terms with this.”

“I would like to try and fix that, and I think that if you give me a chance, we can rekindle what we had. I miss you more than anything in the world. If you would let me, I want to make it up to you, and show you that I can do right by you.”

Wong could not believe what he was hearing. It really seemed that Karl did think he was in love with Wong, and like Wong those many, many years ago, he would even just settle for being friends again. His heart ached at this, knowing what kind of torture it had been those first few years, silently pining for someone.

“Stephen and I have found companionship in one another. If you wish to be my friend, you’ll have to know that. There will be no hope for you and I,” Wong stated.

Wong hope this would discourage Karl and Karl did look surprised about the news that he and Stephen were together.

“Do you love him?” Karl asked.

There it was. Something Wong knew was there, despite Karl’s best attempts at convincing himself that he was in love with Wong. Karl’s voice betrayed him; he was not over Stephen Strange at all. Irritation rose up within him, and he only hoped Stephen’s resolve was much stronger, because he knew that Karl would not be able to help himself when it came to falling in love. Deep down inside the man was a hopeless romantic despite his best efforts to convince people otherwise.

“Would I still be here if I were not?”

Karl nodded, and for a brief moment Wong remembered why they had been friends. He needn't say anymore for Karl to understand. As silly as it was, they still knew each other better than any other person.

Karl thought about their exchange deeply, as evident by the expression in his eyes.

“You once told me that Strange was not worthy of my heart, but do you believe he is worthy of yours?” Karl asked him.

Wong nodded.

“The Stephen Strange you knew and the one I know are very different people.”

He looked skeptical at Wong’s statement, and shook his head after a second. It was also surprising to Wong in some respects. If someone had told Wong a year ago he would be defending Stephen Strange, he would have walked away in disgust. Yet here he was, defending someone he felt deeply for.

“So what do you wish to do? Do you want to go back to Kamar-Taj?” Wong asked, truly wishing for him to leave at this point.

“No. I do not wish to associate myself with those people any more than I have to. I will stay here.”

Wong closed his eyes at the response. He knew that Karl was only doing this because he believe that he would be able to change Wong’s mind. It was one of the things that Wong had liked about the man when they first met: his stubborn will and optimism. No wonder Stephen and him had been attracted to one another. They suited each other in some ways.

“Do what you want. I have no say in the matter,” Wong truthfully replied.

He turned to walk out of the library, forgetting what he had come for. It had been an enlightening conversation, but he didn’t wish to continue it. Something told him that they would have more of the same in the future, even if Wong preferred not too. That was the problem with living in such close quarters. Until this point he had lived a fairly comfortable life, but now the storm had come, and he had to brace himself for its impact.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wong tries to adjust to his situation.

Wong had quickly figured out a routine that suited all of them. He quietly avoided Karl the best he could, frequently shaking up the order of his days. At the same time, he found himself to be in Stephen’s company a little more, and surprisingly they were not at each other’s throats. Wong had worried about that, as he did not get along with people as well as he would have liked. He also believed they were able to get on so well due to Stephen’s extra sensitivity to the situation. Sometimes Wong found himself taken aback with how much Stephen cared to try to make things right. It didn’t strike him as something the man would endeavor to do. He felt impressed by the other master, but restricted praising the man too much internally, as he couldn’t fully bring himself to trust Stephen yet. That took quite a bit of time, and with Karl’s arrival it made him a little more cautious.

The constant emotional tug of war that his heart was participating in tired Wong. There had been a few moments where he wanted to give everything up, and then he went to bed next to Stephen’s warm body, with his soft touches, and gentle words. It was always rejuvenating, and his thoughts of leaving quickly left his mind.

There was also the sex, some of the best sex he had ever had in his whole entire life, as if their bodies were made for each other. Even though he knew that it was a reaction to the guest staying on the opposite end of the house, he wasn’t going to complain. He too made a little more of an effort to drag the moans, groans, and other louder vocalizations from his lover. It felt like this was the honeymoon period for the beginning of their romance. It was joyous, but also maddening at the same time. However, a nagging voice in the back of his head wondered if it was the beginning of the end. He hoped rather that it was they had become more in-tune to their own feelings for one another, and tried his best to ignore those kinds of thoughts.

It was a miracle over the first week after Karl joined them that they managed to keep it only to the bedroom with the way that Stephen kept looking at him when they were in the same room. It was like a light had switched on in that part of himself that had laid dormant for so long. Eventually Stephen’s constant small smirks and knowing smiles while licking his lips did wear Wong down. Even though they hadn’t had sex in a different room yet, there had been moments of heavy petting sessions in the library and the study. Stephen seemed to throw caution to the wind if Wong instigated these moments, as if it were some sort of permission, but he wasn’t going to complain anytime soon. 

One day Karl had walked in on them as they were on the settee, then walked back out, mumbling an apology. Wong hoped that he would get the hint after that, but he was still steadfast in his convictions. He also didn’t seem to waver in his insistence that he wanted to reestablish their friendship. When they did meet, there were small friendly overtures of trying to fix things, but Wong was wary and only politely responded.

Occasionally, Stephen also let slip that the two chatted when they were in the same room. One time he had mentioned Karl’s tendency to sulk about Wong’s avoidance of Karl. He didn’t press the matter, and the comment had been made offhandedly. It seemed that both Stephen and Karl had been mending their own fences, making an effort to be friendly as well. 

Eventually Wong did find himself in a situation where it was unavoidable for all three of them to be in the same room. Karl had woken later than normal one morning, coming down into the kitchen while Wong ate breakfast. He wasn’t going to flee,and at this Stephen seemed to be intently watching the two on how they would interact.

It happened so suddenly and so casually, Wong barely even noticing when Karl slid the jar of of pickled vegetables across the table. Wong had forgotten to take it out when he had prepared his meal of congee in the morning. 

“I hope you are well,” Karl mentioned softly.

Stephen turned to look at Wong, surprised by the comment. 

“Ah, yes. It’s nothing, just the food here is hard to digest in the mornings.”

He hadn’t really talked about it with Stephen, because it was such a minor thing, and something he had been used to from his years abroad. It happened like this sometimes, a reaction to sudden changes in diet, and as Stephen chose to normally only have a piece of fruit for breakfast, he hadn’t felt like having a discussion about it. 

“Make sure to take care of yourself.”

After Karl had fixed himself some breakfast, a simple plate made of vegetables, some cheese, a few small pieces of bread and coffee, he sat with them. The table became crowded, and Stephen just kept watching, as if something were to happen. Wong watched him watching Wong, Karl, and the food on the table, unable to bring himself to look elsewhere. 

It was painfully awkward for a moment, but Wong did not feel openly hostile like the other few times they had seen one another. It seemed that the little interaction they had moments before was almost a declaration of truce. Tolerating one another was inevitable, as neither of them was going anywhere, and Stephen seemed to relax a little when he also realized they had come to this point. 

“So…” Stephen began, “Did you sleep well? Hope things are okay here.”

He was obviously asking Karl, and Wong looked down at his dish of rice porridge, mixing the pickled vegetables in it. He had put just enough in to flavor the dish, but not enough to upset his stomach.

“I’ve slept in worse conditions.”

Trying to tuning out the pair in front of him, Wong focused on just getting through his meal. 

“No disturbances?”

Karl shook his head and the three of them ate the rest of their meal in silence. When Wong finished, he took care of his dishes, and left the room heading for the library. He knew Stephen would be there in a minute, and he tried to get as much done in the short time he had to himself. 

As he straightened the books that he had been putting back in the shelves, he felt Stephen slide his hand up and down his clothed arm for a moment before properly embracing him. Although the first time he had done this, Wong chastised him, now these little moments and touches of affection were like heaven to Wong. He had no idea the man would be so affectionate, and he had been even more surprised about how much he had liked it. His previous partners had always been more like himself: a little colder, distant, and not very romantic. It was one of the reasons they probably never lasted long. Although he did not believe that opposites were always the best matches, partners should be a little different, filling in the gaps. He felt that Stephen did that.

“I know that was difficult for you,” Stephen whispered, his face near Wong’s ear.

“It wasn’t. It was just uncomfortable after our discussion that night a while back.”

Stephen hummed slightly, thinking about something he wanted to talk about, but not something he wanted to bring up. It was one of those tells the man had when there was some difficult topic they needed to cover. 

“I just don’t get why you are so mad. I get that he left you. More than anyone else I get that, but he was your best friend.”

“He was like family to me. Like my family, he left without even a goodbye, or telling me if or when he would even come back,” Wong gritted out.

He didn’t actually mean to tell Stephen that, but it slipped out as his blood began to boil. Stephen needed to understand him, and understand that he had his reasons. By seemingly siding with Karl, it made him instantly irritated. 

Pulling away from Stephen’s grasp, he looked at the man, glaring. Stephen looked surprised, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of his statement or because of his anger. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Of course he didn’t know, even Karl didn’t know that. Wong sighed heavily, and felt his jaw become tighter from the emotions that had overtaken him seconds earlier. 

“It’s nothing. My parents left to earn money. They were only providing for the family and the health and education of their only child,” Wong said softly.

They had thought it would be easier to leave in the middle of the night when he was a boy, leaving him with his grandparents. How he cried and cried for weeks on end, until he could cry no more. At the time he couldn’t have understood why, but as he aged he understood. Like Karl, they had come back suddenly, but it was only because his grandfather had died. Although he still occasionally saw them, it was more out of filial piety than actual affection. They all had made sacrifices, it was the way of things. Now it seemed as though all the resentment he had harbored at the time was coming back, intertwining with the emotions he had been feeling after Karl left. 

He looked up at Stephen whose corners of his mouth pushed back in not a smile or a frown, but a supportive twist of understanding; his brow sympathetic, but not condescending. 

“Okay, I shouldn’t have pushed.”

For once, Stephen knew exactly the right thing to say, and Wong felt himself relaxing at the apology. 

“You shouldn’t have.”

“You know though, I’m here for you if you need it.” 

After he took a few seconds before looking at Stephen, who looked at him with that look. It was that subtitle look Stephen would give every so often with pride and love brimming in his eyes. Bringing his hands up, Wong cupped Stephen’s face and kissed him. It made him forget a little more about what they had just been talking about, and felt comfortable. 

When Wong pulled away from Stephen, his face was flushed, and he obviously wanted more. It was attractive and flattering. 

“I would love to take you upstairs and spend the day in bed, but I do believe you said you have to meet Master Hamir tonight?” Stephen asked. 

Wong nodded. There were a few things the master had asked for in his correspondence, and Wong needed to prepare those things. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary: books, papers, and the like. Still he was not looking forward to visiting the master, knowing that he would probably probe into current status of the New York Sanctum.

After Stephen and him parted, the looming thought of the meeting with Master Hamir wore on him throughout the day, and he tried to best prepare himself for possible questions and answers he would give. It always made him a little nervous, as although he didn’t really have to listen to Master Hamir, it felt wrong to go against the man. Plus he wanted the meeting to go as smoothly as possible, and he knew that his opinions were at times a little hard for others to take, and he wasn’t going to lie.

When it came time to visit Kamar-Taj, he found Stephen and gave him a kiss before heading over there. While it was getting late in New York, it was still fairly early in Kathmandu. It seemed the sun must have just risen right before Wong came, with the way it glowed over the brick and stone of the buildings and courtyard. 

Master Hamir had directed him to meet him in reception hall for some reason, and he made his way across the courtyard. Although there were not many people up and out, the students he did see appeared to be enjoying their time. He could tell that things had become a little better since his last visit, and it started to feel like Kamar-Taj again. Part of him wondered what had taken place during his absence. 

Entering the hall, Master Hamir was sitting and talking with an advanced apprentice about something. Wong waited patiently at the side for their conversation to finish. When they did finish, Wong placed the books and papers on the table before taking his seat. Nervously, he folded his hands in his lap and straightened his posture.

“Tell me. How are things in New York?”

“Fine. Strange is doing well, and things are running smoothly.”

Master Hamir looked at him, his steely eyes considering his report. Wong couldn’t tell what the man was thinking ever. He was Kamar-Taj’s enigma, and in his early years Wong wanted to be like him, but never could capture the same essence. 

“And yourself?”

“I am managing.”

“Because of Mordo?” He asked.

Wong sighed a deep sigh. He didn’t want to talk about it, even though they had talked a little bit about his feelings when Karl up and left.

“Yes,” Wong admitted.

“I was afraid of that, but it can’t be helped. There are greater things in store for him and Master Strange. Things are still unclear, but I know that I can’t move them or you for that matter.”

For those in the know, which only a few were, Master Hamir was an adequate seer, personally trained by the Ancient One. It was not a skill that most could learn, and even fewer could practice with a degree of competency. The Ancient One once tried to teach Wong, as his grandmother was known to have some ability, but he did so poorly that she had given up on him after only a few lessons. 

“So we will remain, and what can three masters possibly do in one sanctum?”

Master Hamir laughed.

“Keep Master Strange in check for now anyways. I'm sure he is still disregarding the rules.”

Wong smiled slightly at the jab, as although Stephen had not done anything recklessly foolish in a long time, he still had that spontaneity and imagination about him that at times bordered on stupidity. Only these days it seemed to deal less with magic and more with other aspects in his life. He wasn’t about to share that with Master Hamir, but he had a feeling that Master Hamir may already know. 

Master Hamir gave Wong some materials to take back to Kamar-Taj, some for himself and some for Stephen, before letting Wong go. The morning exercises were just starting as Wong went back to New York. Sometimes he really did miss the routine of Kamar-Taj. 

After visiting the library to put away the items he had received, he went to look for Stephen. As it was still not yet the time they normally retired for the evening, he figured Stephen would be in the study and sure enough he was, only he wasn’t alone. 

He hesitated at the cracked door, seeing that both Karl and Stephen were drinking. Listening in on them, Stephen didn’t sound like he had a lot, while Karl seemed a bit drunker. Wong had never heard him so loose with his tongue. When Karl and him did drink together, they never drank that much. Wong figured he must have been a little too eager to forget his recent troubles, as Wong also would like nothing more than to do the same.

“Here is what I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you can get so much for so little,” Karl complained. 

Wong didn’t follow, but he figured either it was something they had talked about, or Karl was a lot drunker than he sounded.

“Because I am charming. Didn’t you know that?” Stephen said slyly, a playfulness in his tone. 

The sound of Stephen’s voice had always made him feel better, but this time it made him a little uneasy. 

“No one thinks that about you.”

“You did at one time. Wong does.”

Wong felt his heart stop as he listened in. Part of him knew he should make his presence be known, but he was curious to know what kind of conversations they had been having when he wasn’t around. 

“I’m not sure that Wong does, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Honestly, I came here expecting forgiveness from him. Yet, here we are,” Karl laughed bitterly.

“I know!” Stephen laughed with him.

It was becoming apparent that Stephen had also had quite a bit. 

“How is it? How did it become like this? How? I ask myself that every day.”

Wong hoped that Stephen would keep what they had discussed before in confidence, but with alcohol factored in, it may not be possible. Stephen was often impulsive without drinking.

“Well. I have been in your place. Yup, me and my ex before you, my ex-friend and ex-girlfriend. I chased so many people away in my lifetime and I only wanted forgiveness from a living person only once. She just turned me away eventually. I don’t blame her for it, but I don’t know. I just understand what it’s like. You hurt him though. You hurt me, but well…”

It was hard to follows Stephen’s jumps in logic sometimes when he was sober, but after drinking, Wong found it to be even more difficult.

“Doesn’t he understand that I needed time? I mean you understand.”

“Yea, that’s cause I was there.  _ We _ were there.”

There was silence after that.

“That’s what was wrong. You left when he needed you, and instead he got me,” Stephen added to his previous thought.

It broke his heart how much Stephen’s voice dripped with sadness, remembering that time. Wong wondered if he had hurt Stephen, even though they hadn’t even been friendly at that time. He should have understood the man’s loneliness, but instead was attending only to his own wounds in his own way, by throwing himself into work. For a brief moment, he felt almost ashamed by it, although he knew that he would never feel this way if they weren’t together. Stephen made him crazy sometimes.

The whole situation playing out in the room was odd to him, like they were connecting on their own wavelength. 

“And I had no one,” Karl responded.

“By your own choice.”

Karl laughed his deep, bitter laugh Wong hadn’t heard since Kaecilius left them. His head hurt thinking about everything, and he took his leave from the area, going back to Stephen and his room. It was best to leave their conversation private. He trusted Stephen around Karl at this point, something about the tone and frankness from their conversation laid whatever remained of Wong’s worries to bed. It was reassuring, but at the same time he couldn’t help but reflect on his own bitterness that he had held so close to his heart over the past few weeks. It had weighed so heavily on him, and probably contributed to some of the physical ailments he had been quietly enduring. 

He laid in bed for a while, waiting for Stephen to come, but eventually fell asleep. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, or what time it was when Stephen woke him, falling into bed fully clothed and absolutely reeking of whatever they had been drinking. Wong was sure that they must have found more of whatever had been there, as there had not been enough from the first time they had drank the scotch to become that drunk off of it. It was unbecoming of a master, but as Wong was completely sober, he couldn’t severely scold the man for letting his guard down. He was not the only capable master at the Sanctum and felt this time he would let it slide. This was especially true, because masters no longer had the luxury of taking days off anymore, and Wong knew the other man probably needed it. He also frankly needed a day off. 

Shifting over to the edge of the bed, Wong tried to fall back to sleep, but the noises coming from Stephen kept him awake. He had forgotten what it felt like to share a bed with someone when they weren’t the embodiment of perfection, and tonight Stephen was the furthest thing from perfection he had seen in awhile. 

Sighing, he got up to go straighten up the study, as he was sure they probably left a mess, and Wong felt he needed to do something if he were awake. 

As he walked through the halls, closer to his destination, he heard the record player. Not thinking about it thoroughly, he silently cursed Stephen as he assumed the man probably had forgotten to turn it off. However, when he opened the door, he found that Karl was still there. He looked at Wong, but remained silent, his expression pensive and his eyes sad. 

Of course Karl was inside, as the record would have ran out if Stephen had left it running. Wong stood there not knowing what to say.

“I’m guessing Stephen made it to bed fine.”

He was sober and must have stopped drinking well before Stephen did.

“Sorry, I must admit, I kept refilling his glass. He told me he wanted to forget for a night, but I think it only made him remember more.”

Wong was too tired to be mad, and actually he felt a pang of sympathy for the both of them. It was like something had been turned on inside of him, some form of empathy that he had tucked away. He  _ almost _ felt guilty about how he had been behaving.

He sat across from Karl looking at the man’s face, wearied and worn. It was almost painful to look at in the dimly lit room.

“I didn’t know you enjoyed music.”

“Doesn’t everyone enjoy music? I admit it is more Stephen’s thing than mine, but there is a charm to this one. Sorrow and strength seem to meld together.”

Wong nodded. They looked at each other for moment.

“You should go to bed,” Wong suggested.

“Sleep does not come easily these days. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone under this roof with what we have been through.”

Wong nodded in response. Although he and Stephen did sleep more soundly than before, all of them were plagued, and they had more bad nights then good. 

“I wish we could go back to the way we were at least,” Karl said.

“I know, but you abandoned me, your oldest friend. I thought of you like family, more so than even my own remaining relations. I know I act more the jilted lover than Stephen, but you caused more harm than you could know.” 

“And I’m sorry for it.”

“I know that, but give me some more time, Karl. Now that I am sure of your intentions and Stephen’s intentions, things can start to heal, but it takes time.”

Karl looked at him with surprise in his expression. It wasn’t a secret, surely the man must have realized that Wong had lost his trust in him.

“You thought I came back for Stephen. I told you I came back for you.”

“You still love him. I know you do, and he still loves you, although I don’t think he will act on it. It’s as plain to see as the day is long. You two are attracted to one another on such a deep level that I can scarcely begin to comprehend, but you also destroy one another. Here I am, trapped in the middle. Sometimes, I wish you had never come back, so I would not be in this position.”

There it was laid out for Karl. Although Wong had known it, both Stephen and Karl seemed to be oblivious to this fact. Only Wong could see it, and it hurt him, because he loved them both. Although he hated Karl at the moment, the memory of love still was there lurking underneath. It was something he did not want to admit, as he loved them differently, but he did love them. At times it felt like he would be collateral damage from Stephen and Karl’s relationship and his own complex feelings.

Karl’s face filled with disbelief, and he looked at Wong as if he were crazy. His heart lurched in response to Karl’s reaction. It was infuriating how the two of them just couldn’t see it. In Wong’s mind they were destined lovers and it was one of the reasons he was so desperately trying to hold on to Stephen for as long as he could.

“I don’t want him, and I know that you are with him,” Karl protested softly.

Their conversation was circular and it was tiring. Although he felt more at ease with Karl, he knew that it would take quite a while to get back to a place where there wasn’t a tension between them. 

“You should go to bed,” Wong urged.

“Don’t try to send me away like a child. I miss you. I miss us, just talking like this. I know this is difficult, but don’t you remember all the good times? I keep thinking about how I could tell you anything, and now I can’t even ask for you to pass the milk at breakfast.”

This was breaking him slowly, and he could tell that Karl too was breaking slowly.

“The funny thing about all of this,” Karl continued, “Is that Stephen is trying to fill the emptiness from our lack of companionship, but he’s not the same. He’s just so…”

“He lacks the history.”

That’s what it was. That was why Wong found comfort in him as well. Stephen lacked their history with all of their experiences.

“Yes, he lacks the history,” Karl repeated.

Wong smiled sadly at that, remembering all of those times he had missed having his best friend during the period when Karl was gone. It was petty of him to hold this grudge, because he did want that again, but at the same time he couldn’t bring himself to possibly get hurt like that once more. He was so hard to recover, partially because he had no idea why Karl had acted the way he did that day. The man who left was not his steadfast friend.

“I still don’t understand why you even left in the first place. What possessed you to just take off? I know you felt he was breaking too many rules, but to leave me at the same time?”

Karl sighed.

“Stephen didn’t tell you?”

Wong shook his head. Stephen and him didn’t talk about those things. It was their unspoken agreement. 

“She was drawing power from Dormammu.”

Wong gasped. It wasn’t something he had been expecting to hear at all. He had thought that Stephen had been bending the rules of time before they showed up in Hong Kong, or that they had fought about the Ancient One dying. No one at Kamar-Taj knew about the Ancient One drawing power from Dormammu. No wonder Karl had reacted the way he had. Surely Stephen had not realized the severity of her indiscretions, and that was why this was the first he was hearing of it.

“No!”

“Yes. Do you think I would say this if I was not positive of it? I saw it Wong. I saw the mark, and she did not even try to deny it either.”

He still had a hard time wrapping his brain around the idea of it. If there was anything they had learned in their whole time in Kamar-Taj, it was that it was forbidden to align or sell one’s soul to entities like Dormammu. It was a cornerstone element to their learning. No wonder he reacted the way he did to Stephen flying off to the Dark Dimension. He assumed that he had been angry for other, more personal reasons.

“I had no idea.”

Karl rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Stephen has a habit of leaving out necessary information.”

Wong shook his head at the information. He still felt uneasy, but at least now he understood a bit more about what had happened. Everything made a little more sense, and he felt poorly about the way he had been acting towards Karl. At the same time, he was still annoyed that Karl had not come to his senses earlier and sought him out, so he couldn’t fully forgive him.

Watching as Karl closed his eyes for a brief moment, Wong reflected on his own tired state. All of the anxiety he had kept inside seemed to slowly be unraveling itself from the ball it was in at the pit of his stomach. After all that time, he started to finally feel like he would survive this too, and with his sanity intact. There had been several moments he considered leaving, but now he felt he wouldn’t have to. 

“I guess it’s time for bed for me. I will see you in the morning,” Karl remarked. 

Wong nodded as Karl took his leave of the room. After finishing tidying up the room, Wong to went back to bed, curling himself up around a soundly sleeping Stephen. 


	5. Chapter 5

Although things had become a little easier between him and Karl, they weren’t like they were before, especially with the added complication of what Wong thought of as their odd love triangle. He still didn’t believe that Karl didn’t have feelings for Stephen, and although he was sure that Stephen loved him, he was also sure that Stephen was still attracted to Karl. It was obvious every time they talked and laughed with one another. Sparks were always lurking underneath their expressions, and Wong knew one day they would combust. Before that could happen, he would bide his time the best he could, enjoying every moment with Stephen that he had left. 

Stephen was filled with affection and loved to whisper sweet nothings in his ear every time Wong started to feel a little distant from him. Without fail, it always pulled him back under, dragging him down deeper into his love than before. For now, Wong was in love and he couldn’t deny it. He was so hopelessly infatuated. He could only accept that even if it ended, it had been a fulfilling experience to this point. 

He tried not to think about it as he came down into the kitchen, looking to fix his breakfast. At the table his two housemates sat with one another, each wearing their attractive grins as they talked about something of no consequence. 

They stopped talking when they saw Wong, and he felt as if they had been talking about him. He knew that sometimes Stephen talked about his problems with Karl, but he still felt a bit sensitive about it, even though he realized it would be inevitable to want to talk about each other with one another. It was something that he would have to learn to live with for now. Thankfully though, there was less tension than the days before, even if there would still be this awkward dance between them. 

“I have to go visit Master Hamir today. He has summoned me, perhaps to fire me,” Stephen laughed nervously.

Wong looked at him with an unamused expression. That was not why Master Hamir would have called him. It was not a common occurrence for Stephen to be called, but Master Hamir had hinted big things would happen to Stephen. It was ominous thinking back, but Wong knew that Stephen would be in good hands. Whatever happened at Kamar-Taj, it would probably be either a learning experience or an analysis of Stephen’s progress as a master. 

“I’ll be here with Karl,” Wong responded.

It was a feeble attempt at trying to normalize things, but he figured mentioning the other man in his and Stephen’s presence was a good start.

“What could Master Hamir possible want?” Karl thought outloud. 

Stephen shrugged. Not even Wong could guess at that, but it must be something significant.

“Hopefully it won’t take long.”

Wong nodded as he sat down with the two other men. There was some silence, and Karl kept looking at him, still not quite comfortable with all three of them in the same room. It wasn’t the same as before, something in his expression was quite different, but Wong couldn’t put his finger on what it was. 

It didn’t last long as Karl was the first one to finish and exit the room, leaving the two of them alone. Stephen looked at Wong, his expression serious and sad. Whatever the man was struggling with seemed to be gravely weighing on him.

“Karl told me you think we are in love with one another,” Stephen said softly.

His voice and expression was filled with caution, but Wong couldn’t understand why. It was no secret that he thought this, and he would still stand by his words. Both of them had not shown Wong otherwise, and he was trying to approach this sensibly. 

“I love you. I think you love me too, even though I feel like I will have to drag the words from you one of these days,” Stephen ventured.

Wong had no idea where this was going. It was starting to worry him. 

“I think Karl loves you as well, even if he hasn’t told me directly.”

Sitting back, Wong frowned, furrowed his brow, and crossed his arms. He really had no idea at this point what words would come out of Stephen’s mouth next. If he was going to end it, it would have happened before this point. Now he was just babbling and Wong was getting annoyed with the roundabout way that he was talking.

“Do you love Karl?” Stephen asked suddenly.

“Why would you even think that?”

“Just a gut feeling. I know I’m not very good at judging your emotional state, but for how badly you reacted when Karl hurt you, it seemed like…”

Realizing that Wong was not going to even humor the man’s imaginative idea, Stephen tapered off. Sighing, Stephen rested his gloved fingers at his temple.

“Well if you did love him, I’m okay with that. There are many different kinds of love you know,” Stephen added softly.

It was a very odd statement from the other sorcerer, and Wong had no idea what he meant by it. It didn’t really make sense to him, so he shrugged it off and didn’t respond. Wong knew that even though Stephen had feelings for Karl, he was denying them. It was probably why he was projecting his feelings upon Wong at this moment, and Wong was getting pretty tired of this game, waiting for the ax to drop.

“I know that you’re probably torn between what you see as honor and your feelings, but if you wish to leave me, do it. Don’t try to project your feelings upon me.”

“That’s not what I was getting at at all. I’m just... Never mind.” 

Stephen hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. They seemed not to be communicating well at the moment. Wong shrugged it off as he stopped eating his meal and put his bowl in the sink. It was only half empty, but he had lost his appetite with all the odd talk coming from Stephen and the uncomfortable atmosphere he had made between them. 

“If you love him, just tell me. I will understand and won't stop you from going,” Wong added, a bite in his tone.

“You know, sometimes you have this martyr complex when it comes to this relationship. No matter how much I try to show you that I am in this, you keep saying things like this. I really am sick and tired of it,” Stephen growled suddenly. 

Wong had no idea where that had come from and sat straight up in his chair in shock, glaring at Stephen in confusion. Stephen got up and left, leaving Wong with his empty cup on the table and a ball of guilt in the pit of his stomach. It was not how he wanted to start his morning, and he felt a bit hurt by it. Whatever had just happened, was not his intended result, and Wong made up his mind to talk to Stephen later. He wanted to clear the air with Stephen, as he may have pressed his opinion a little too hard. Surely Stephen would come around as well.

As the day progressed, they had been quite busy as suddenly a few guest came to the Sanctum: one person with an actual mystical problem, a lost tourist looking for directions, and a man who had come to clean some of the vents in the house. This lead all of them to be busier than normal, as they seperately dealt with each person, and Wong was unable to talk to Stephen before he had left for Kamar-Taj. It was disappointing, but not surprising.

While Wong waited for Stephen to come back, he made some dinner for him and Karl. They sat in the kitchen together silently while Wong made the food. They never really cooked for one another before, as Karl had always been at Kamar-Taj, and Wong had always bounced around between places. On their days off, they ate out together when they didn’t have plans with others, and so he did know that Karl was less of a picky eater than either him or Stephen. He was glad that he was able to cook whatever he wanted. It felt refreshing after the months he had spent dumbing down foods to Stephen’s bland pallet. 

Wong placed the food in front of them and sat down.

“What’s wrong?” Karl asked.

He sounded genuinely interested in Wong’s problem, and it actually felt the old days for a fraction of a moment.

“It’s nothing.”

Karl rolled his eyes, causing Wong to feel a slight irritation at the man’s reaction.

“I said something to Stephen this morning that caused a slight misunderstanding,” Wong confessed. 

Karl raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Wong occasionally said things in a wrong way, but he didn’t like to admit it, and he normally stood by what he said, even if he was wrong. However, Stephen had misunderstood his intentions. He wanted to be clear, and maybe he was being a bit paranoid, but he had to get his point across. Things had just gotten out of hand in Wong’s mind. 

“Stephen will understand. He is also not the greatest at expressing himself.”

Wong shook his head in response. It went deeper than that. He was afraid that he had hurt Stephen in some way, as Stephen took it as him pushing Stephen away. It was not something he was intentionally doing. Really it was his problem with communicating his feelings and even understanding them as well. He knew that he didn’t have the same confidence in being a partner as Stephen did. There was nothing to recommend himself, and Karl’s presence reminded him of that, as the man had always oozed confidence, even when he wasn’t. 

The worst part was how hard Wong tried to hide this. Sure, he could recommend himself in other things. He was smart and knowledgeable; he knew more about mystical history than anyone at Kamar-Taj. He was quite good as a sorcerer as well, only bested by a few. It was his personality that he always felt lacking in. Knowing that it wasn’t true was not the same as feeling it, and some of his neurosis came out with the addition of their guest. Karl was charming, handsome, and put people at ease. Stephen was very similar, even if he was a little less charming. He was endearing when people got to know him. 

“I guess you are right.”

“I am right in this,” Karl said smirking, taking another bite of food.

“I don’t know how to do this. I feel overwhelmed half the time. Everything comes bubbling to the surface, and I can’t help myself. I feel like I should be committed at this point.”

Confessions hurt no matter how they were done. Long ago he had made them under the duress of the stick when he was a child, and then at the side of his grandmother’s bed as she lay dying. Every time was painful, and this was no different for him, albeit a little less severe than other moments in his life. 

It had been eons since Wong had shared his feelings with anyone, including Karl. With Stephen he could share those lovely, small things, but the deep fears were still very much off-limits. He honestly hadn’t shared these kinds of worries for nearly a decade at least, and it felt wrong, childish to him.

Karl laughed at him; his deep, but low chuckle was soothing.

“Love tends to make one feel like that.”

Wong remained quiet, thinking over the word. Yes, he knew it, and Stephen had been right, he would probably need to drag the word ‘love’ from Wong’s lips, but it was true. He was so obvious. 

“How did our ancestors survive?” Wong asked.

“I’m sure with great difficulty.” 

Looking at Karl with his sympathetic smile made him feel a bit better and he smiled a small smile. Karl managed to change his mood around for a brief moment, until he asked his next question.

“So what did you say that offended Stephen?”

Karl was curious, perhaps probing to offer his advice, thinking it was no different than some of the other problems they would talk about when they were both still at Kamar-Taj. They were friends after all, but something didn’t feel quite right about sharing this one. Wong shook his head.

“It was silly, nothing of importance.”

Karl nodded his head.

“He can be quite sensitive sometimes. We have had our differences, but Stephen will come around.”

They fell silent as they finished their meal. As they cleared the table together, it started to feel like before Karl had left. The tension had fully subsided by the time they were washing and drying the dishes. They stood side by side, not talking, but they didn’t need to talk. There was no pressure to interact, except when Wong handed Karl a dish. When their fingers accidentally touched occasionally, Wong didn’t feel like pulling back in surprise, which he might have done a few weeks ago.

When they finished, they each retired to their respective rooms, and Wong wondered about what had happened to Stephen. Normally when Wong visited, it didn’t take him very long, but Stephen was taking a long time. There may have been some special task he needed to do, and although he found it peculiar, he tried not to worry. 

However, when days passed he did start to get a little more worried than usual. There was no sign from Stephen, no correspondence of any kind. Although Wong knew he could go to Master Hamir to ask about the man, he felt wary to do so. It wasn’t his place to interfere with business at Kamar-Taj. It was just not done before, and should not be done now. He knew that he had to keep their ways, despite being so affected by the other sorcerer.

This was one of the reasons relationships within Kamar-Taj had been discouraged by the Ancient One. Wong could only endure, but thankfully he was not alone, and Karl provided him with enough distraction. He could feel Karl’s concern for him and he knew that Karl could understand Wong’s feelings on the mafter. Some part of him secretly wondered if Karl shared the same worries, but he wasn’t going to drag that question out in the open. Somethings were best to be left untouched.

Days soon turned into weeks, and they still hadn’t heard anything about Stephen. They both decided that if anything had happened Master Hamir would have told them. It was hard to push the idea from his mind, and there was no denying now that Wong was in absolutely love with the man to the point where it felt like a cancer of his soul. During the time that Stephen had been gone, he made up his resolve to tell that to the man such when he came back. It was the first thing that would escape his lips when they met and were alone. 

For now, Karl and him confined themselves to the study in the evening and chatted. Things had become almost normal for them once again after the day that Stephen had gone to Kamar-Taj. However, they often danced around certain topics, much preferring to talk about the now rather than the past. There were still certain things that were not comfortable acknowledging. 

One evening Karl came in with some glasses and held up a bottle with a red and white label that had Chinese characters on it.

“Where did you get that swill?” Wong asked, shocked that Karl had it.

It was his most hated Baijiu.

“I thought you liked this? You always came back with a bottle when you visited your family,” Karl remarked.

If Karl cared to remember, he often gave it to Tina, because he didn’t want it. She could drink them under the table, and seemed to have no disconcerting taste as long as the percentage of alcohol was above a certain number.

Wong shook his head at the bottle, but still took it from Karl and opened it. He didn’t like it, but he was secretly pleased to see it. It was still a taste from home that he had been missing for a while. 

“What no music?” Wong teased as he poured them some drinks.

“Isn’t that Stephen’s thing?” Karl retorted.

He also did like music, but with his friend, he didn’t need anything else but the sounds of his voice. 

They both sat across from each other and raised their glasses before they drank a shot, the way it was meant to be drunk, despite what Tina believed. 

“Stephen. Where is he? Is he well? I’m sure nothing has happened,” Wong rambled. 

He had been keeping it in for a while, but if he couldn’t talk to his former best friend, who could he talk to? Karl looked at him, his expression more guarded than normal. Maybe the man didn’t want to be reminded, as their odd relationship continued. Wong did warn him that if they wanted to be friends, Karl would have to accept the fact Stephen and him were together. 

“He can handle himself. To be honest, he seems to be an actual sorcerer now, a true master.”

Wong nodded. It seemed Karl had given quite a bit of thought to this.

“If you don’t want me to talk about him, I understand,” Wong said. 

In saying this, it was his way of extending the olive branch.

“No, by all means.”

Karl reached for the bottle, while Wong had decided to stop at that moment. It wouldn’t do for both masters at the Sanctum to be sloshed. Frankly, he didn’t care for the feeling either. It made him too sleepy and the next morning was difficult to handle. It was for the best if he remained in control of himself. 

“It’s not been easy letting him in, as it’s never been easy for me. You know that though. I keep driving him away in subtle ways, because in my mind you're the better man. More right for him than I am,” Wong confessed.

“You don’t think that. You just don’t know how to sustain any romantic relationship.”

Wong laughed at that. 

“In that we are the same.”

“Yes, but you have a chance now,” Karl reassured him.

Karl’s tone was warm, but he could also hear the envy lurked underneath. It was all those feelings that he also had felt when thinking about Stephen and Karl’s so called friendship these days. He couldn’t begrudge them the company, and they made it seem so easy with one another.

Wong tilted his head back, thinking about what Karl said. It was true. Maybe he was sabotaging his relationship, but how could he change his feelings that there was someone better out there for Stephen? Not even someone out there, but inside the same house.

At this point even he was getting sick of thinking about it, so it was no wonder Stephen had gotten annoyed with him all those weeks now ago. Wong was a mess, despite how much he tried to keep it from everyone He was an absolute mess internally and he hated it.

“Well I must confess they day that Stephen left, he was talking about how I said that you two loved each other still. He kept on it, saying how he loved me and how you said you loved me, but then he asked me if I loved you. I got mad at him. Then he got mad because I told him if he wanted to leave me, I would understand.”

Karl looked at him with a confused expression. The cat was finally out of the bag. It was hard to talk about with Karl, because it was tied with the complications they had had ever since Karl showed up.

“Do you love me?” Karl asked with a sliver of hope hidden under the cautious tone. 

Wong’s initial reaction was to deny it, because he was in love with Stephen, but he decided to examine his feelings further. As he pondered it, he tried not to look at Karl’s face, afraid of what he might see.

“I don’t know,” Wong finally admitted.

It was the truth, and it scared him more than anything else in the world. If he admitted it, then what did that mean for him and for all of them? It was not just about his feelings. 

He looked at Karl, who bit his bottom lip in concentration, thinking deeply about what they were talking about. The subject was a delicate one, and Wong for a brief moment regretted even mentioning it. He would curse the Baijiu, but he knew that he hadn’t drank that much of the stuff, as he was just warmed by it. This was all on him now.

“I don’t think Stephen was asking because he wants to sleep with me, or for the same reasons you keep asking him” Karl said hesitantly.

Wong looked at him, not understanding. Part of him didn’t want to ask, but he had to at this point. There was no other option. 

“Then why?” Wong asked.

Karl hesitated, looking at Wong suspiciously, as if it were a trick question. 

“He is not like us. He has different ideas and experiences. I think you need to talk to him about it though. I don’t want to hypothesize on his intentions.”

Wong frowned at the non-answer. It was a carefully thought out, logical one, but it was still irksome. What the hell could Karl mean by it?

Karl poured them another shot, and they took it. Deciding he wouldn’t press the matter, he tried to put it out of his mind the best he could. For a moment he missed sitting in the study with Stephen and his music. The study seemed emptier even with Karl in it. He did enjoy Karl’s company, and he wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know if he loved Karl. It was different from the way he loved Stephen, and with the history they had, it felt better that way. He didn’t feel as crazy with Karl, and looking at the man, he had to admit that he had always admired Karl in many ways. Yet, it was a moot point, as he wouldn’t throw his relationship away and possibly ruin their friendship.

He didn’t know anymore. Tilting his head back once again, he decided he needed to go to bed and rest. Eventually, Karl also seemed to grow tired of just sitting together. Wong was not as good of a conversationalist as he once was, with all of his worries pressing down upon him. 

Karl volunteered to clean up, and Wong retired for the night. It had been an interesting evening to say the least, and once again he drifted off asleep in Stephen and his bed alone.

A few hours later, he woke suddenly, startled and confused. From the moment he woke he felt an overwhelming sense of panic. There was no mistaking the feeling, as he often woke from nightmares of that day in Hong Kong in a panic, but this time he had no memory of a dream. Instead there was this overwhelming sense of dread. He got out of bed, throwing on some clothes, and paced about the room. It was disturbing him as he realized he was worried about Stephen being gone for so long. 

Clinching his fist, he thought about what to do, his mind racing with different scenarios as to what was going on. He couldn’t stand it and left their room as every place he turned there was a reminder of Stephen. It was uncomfortable to be in there. 

Instead he paced the halls, until the door at the end of the hall opened, and Karl poked his head out. Wong must have woken the man, even though he thought he had been quiet.

“What? What is wrong?” Karl asked, obviously concerned for his friend.

“I can’t sleep.”

It was the simple answer, and he knew Karl could see through it. There was nothing surprising to that; it wasn’t the first time they had been in this kind of situation. His reaction was not normally this severe, but they all had these kind of problems. It came with the job. 

“Come inside,” Karl said, opening his door wider. 

Wong followed him inside, standing against the door after he entered.

“Nightmares?” Karl asked.

Wong shook his head. How could he describe what was happening to him appropriately? It was something else, but he didn’t want to made it sound like a bigger problem than what it was. It was a gut feeling. 

Karl looked at him with understanding. 

“He’s not coming back,” Wong said suddenly.

Karl leaned forward from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, cocking his head to the side. 

“Did Master Hamir send word?”

Wong shook his head. He just had a feeling. It was deep in the pit of his stomach and had been there for days now. Things didn’t add up. Something was wrong.

Karl sighed before speaking up again, “I am sure things are fine. There have been many instances where we have been sent to deal with something outside of this dimension. It must be something like that.”

“We have never been masters of a sanctum.”

Karl bit his bottom lip in contemplation. It was true that normally the Ancient One never sent Masters away from their posts.

“There are three masters at this sanctum. Perhaps Master Hamir has decided Stephen needs more practical experience, and even one of us can protect this sanctum better than most. With two here, he would have no worries."

Wong nodded his head in agreement. It would make sense and explained Stephen’s long absence. Wong closed his eyes and put his hands up to them, rubbing them with his palms. He felt both incredibly tired and awake at the same time. It was harder than he admitted to himself before.

“I can’t do this again.”

The waiting and not knowing was like when Karl had left, and although he knew that if Stephen were alive, he would come back, but the waiting was killing him. Opening his eyes back up, Karl looked at him, guarding his expression. Wong probably upset him as well. Even with their progress, everything was still a little raw.

“You won’t,” Karl assured him. 

Wong came and sat next to Karl, before laying down on the bed. His head had started to hurt and he felt nauseous from the sudden stress. They didn’t speak, but Karl put his hand on Wong’s shin in a sympathetic manner. It was comforting to have someone touch him, and Wong sighed. Stephen had changed him quite a lot. He felt like a fool for his reaction, worried sick and imposing on Karl's kindness.

“Rest,” Karl urged, in that sympathetic tone he often used. 

All he could do is nod and closed his eyes. He felt the bed shift as Karl laid down parallel, but away from him on the other side. Of course Karl needed to sleep as well, and his presence did make Wong feel more at ease. He too soon fell off to sleep, listening to the rhythmic sounds of Karl’s breathing. 


	6. Chapter 6

“Wong!”

He was woken abruptly from his sleep by the shouting going on outside the room. It was most definately Stephen who was shouting, and both him and Karl made for the door. They opened it to find Stephen, perfectly safe, but looking a little tired. His clothing looked a little worse for wear, and he had a full beard, but he seemed alright and showed no signs of discomfort. Wong felt himself letting out a breath he didn’t know that he had been holding.

“Stephen, you’re alright,” Karl said relieved.

Stephen looked between Karl and Wong with confusion. It was probably a surprise to see them together. Stephen had no idea of what had happened over the past few weeks, just like how they had no idea what had happened with him.

“This is not what it looks like,” Karl ventured.

Stephen chuckled as Wong rolled his eyes. Stephen would know that they hadn’t been sleeping together, as Wong preferred not to wear any clothes to bed. Even the first night they shared a bed, Wong had disrobed before joining the man, leaving Stephen a little disappointed that he couldn’t do the honor of disrobing the man. These days Wong would wait for him, as it seemed something that Stephen liked to do, but at the time he hadn’t considered it.

Stephen waved his hand as if to say no problem.

“What happened?” Wong asked.

“Ah... Yea, sorry things kind of got out of hand. I went to meet Master Hamir about some student he wanted me to examine. I guess the doctor Kamar-Taj normally uses died, and they need to find a new one, but there was a holiday. Well that wasn’t important. While I was there though, I was summoned by the Vishanti, and one thing let to another. I had to accomplish some of their tasks, and long story short, I’m the Sorcerer Supreme.”

Karl and him both gasped in shock at the news. Wong couldn’t see Karl standing behind him, but he could guess that he probably had a look of disapproval on his  face. It was a very alarming tale.

“It wasn’t like I asked for it,” Stephen mumbled.

“If the Vishanti believe you are worthy, who am I to judge,” Karl said, the tone of his voice sounding more as if he were trying to convince himself.

Wong could only look at him, part of him scared for the man’s future, and part of him bursting with happiness that he was okay.

“Anyways, I’ve arranged it so that we could stay here. I mean, of course I’ll be busier, and I thought you two could handle things here. I’ll just be living here. I know it’s a bit sudden and not conventionally done, but I guess I’m not very conventional.”

Stephen shifted on his heels and smiled nervously. It was going to take some time for it to really sink in that the man who stood before them was the newest Sorcerer Supreme. Wong had a feeling that he would make a good one one day, but he was sure that that day was not today. Reflecting on it, he would not be surprised if Karl left again.

“Could you maybe stop looking at me like that? Like I said, I didn’t really ask for this. It just kind of happened. They asked me to help them. I had no idea it would lead to this.”

Wong nodded out of politeness. He still couldn’t see Karl, and was frankly afraid to turn around to look at the man.

“That is very fine, Stephen,” Karl ventured.

‘Fine’ was a funny word, as Wong knew what it really meant, and he also knew what Stephen thought it meant.

“Thanks.”

Wong closed his eyes for a second and smiled confused at the situation. There was never a dull moment since he came to this Sanctum.

“I’m wrecked though. Think I’ll turn in,” Stephen said as he approached Wong, reaching out for Wong’s hand.

Wong just looked at it and turned towards Karl. The man’s face was expressionless, and Wong just knew that the other sorcerer couldn’t even process what Stephen had just told them. Frankly Wong was having a hard time as well.

“Get some sleep, and we’ll see you at breakfast,” Wong said sympathetically.

Karl nodded and they parted fairly easily. Wong hoped that they would actually see him at the breakfast table, as he was nervous about Karl’s reaction. Although Stephen and Karl had become friendly once again, Wong knew that Karl was still rather wary about Stephen when it pertained to certain things, as he had been when he first came to the Sanctum. Now he was fairly certain that Stephen would be able to achieve greatness in time, but Wong didn’t think Karl felt the same.

Returning to their rooms, Stephen looked at him, breathing in deeply, his eyes half closed. It had been nearly a month since they last saw one another, and so many feelings threatened to boil over. Stephen took a step close to him, and Wong reached out to touch Stephen’s face. His fingers ran over the part where skin met the beard he was now sporting. Tilting his head slightly up, Stephen’s lips met his, and they were kissing, with all those feelings passed between them as they did. The rough hairs of Stephen’s beard scratched at his skin, and he pulled away after not even a minute had passed.

“They didn’t have razors where they sent you?” Wong grumbled.

“Why? You don’t like it? I don’t know, I think it’s quite fitting for a Sorcerer Supreme,” Stephen said grinning.

Wong shook his head.

“You are not Merlin.”

“I’ll shave tomorrow, don’t worry, but I’m a little disappointed you’re not completely enraptured with my reappearance?” Stephen teased, before he took on a more serious expression, “I've missed you so much, you have no idea.”

Even though he grumbled about Stephen’s altered visage, the only thoughts going through Wong’s mind at this point were about his love for the man and relief at the sight of Stephen. He couldn’t do anything but look at him, scarcely believe it wasn’t a dream. Everything was so surreal. He brought his hands up to touch the man, just to make sure.

“I love you,” Wong gasped.

He hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath until that moment. It was like he had been bottling in with the words that had just escaped his lips. Those few words he had only said to so few in his life. Feeling them had been one thing, but saying them was entirely different.

A brilliant smile unfurled on Stephen’s face, and Wong almost felt as if his heart would stop at any moment. He knew it was something Stephen had been wanting to hear. It was something that he wanted to say.

“I love you, too. I worried that you wouldn’t be here when I came back, thinking I abandoned you.”

Wong shook his head. He knew that whatever happened, Stephen wouldn’t do that to him. It was the only thing he had been sure about during the whole time the man was gone. Even though he considered that Stephen might have died, he knew Stephen wouldn’t willingly abandon him.

“No. I knew you would be back, unless something bad happened. I did worry you may have died at times. I know you have a rash streak about you that should have gotten you killed more times than you think.”

“You’re telling me. You have no idea what the Vishanti had me do. That’s for later though. I’m exhausted, and all I want is to sleep in the same bed as you.”

Wong nodded in agreement. He looked exhausted, and although the sun was going to rise in a couple of hours, Wong wanted nothing more than to sleep once again with Stephen in his arms.

Helping Stephen out of his clothes, he noticed some injuries that had been inflicted upon him during the time that he was away. Wong was curious, but like Stephen said, those were stories for later. For now, he would only concern himself with the task at hand, trying not to stare too hard at the lines that criss-crossed Stephen’s torso.

Once they had both undressed and Stephen was in bed, Wong turned out the lights and also climbed into bed. Pressing against Stephen, he ran his hand through the man’s hair.

“Can you repeat what you said before?” Stephen purred softly.

Wong smiled to himself. It seemed as though Stephen rather liked when Wong talked about his feelings.

“What? You are not Merlin? It’s true.”

There was a small whine of protest from Stephen that was surprising, and Wong assumed mostly brought on by his weakened state.

“Or are you referring to the part where I said I love you?”

“The latter.”

“I do love you,” Wong reassured him.

“I know. I’ve known for a while. I guess that’s why this is scary for you?”

Wong didn’t answer, preferring to press his head against Stephen’s back. Stephen sighed and after a few moments, he drifted off to sleep. The stillness of the night also lulled Wong to sleep soon after, but because he had slept before Stephen's arrival, he found himself awake again quicker than he would like.

As he laid in the bed, still pressed against Stephen, a thousand thoughts ran through his head. There were still so many questions that needed to be answered, and he had a feeling that things were not going to be back to normal any time soon. If Wong were being honest with himself, he knew that this was probably the new normal.

Reluctantly he pulled himself away from Stephen, and got out of bed to start the day. Like most days, he dressed and went down the stairs to the kitchen, where he found Karl sitting at the table with a pot of tea in front of him. It wasn’t as odd as he thought it would be after Stephen came back, but still there was a tension in the air that had not been there during the last few weeks.

Karl barely looked at him, instead focusing on the cup in front of him. It would have been sad, if he hadn’t been staring at the cup so intently, with his eyes practically boring holes into it. Sometimes it was intimidating just watching Karl’s facial expression. He had such an intensity about him in contrast to the ample amounts of kindness he often showed.

“Are you okay?” Wong asked.

Karl nodded his head.

“The Vishanti have chosen Stephen as the new Sorcerer Supreme, and I for one can’t understand.”

Wong looked at him and on closer inspection, it seemed as though Karl never went back to sleep, disturbed by this new revelation.

“Stephen is more than capable, and well, he has some natural talent.”

Karl raised his brow in response.

“Look, if you find him lacking, then you don’t have to follow him, or you can help him. He’s not the same as the Ancient One. I know that you know that.”

“He still does not have an understanding of the ways.”

Wong had also thought about this. It was true that Stephen’s education had many holes, but after some time, it seemed that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as he was always willing to learn. Really the thing that had bothered Karl was his consistent questioning of what he had been taught, and although it also exasperated Wong at times, it was not entirely unwelcome. Stephen challenged all of them to be better in some ways.

“Stephen will learn, and he has a better sense of right and wrong than you give him credit for, even if he does bend the rules a bit.”

Karl was silent.

“Stay, go, stay and don’t practice the mystic arts. It’s up to you Karl.”

Karl seemed to take his words into consideration. He suddenly looked up at Wong, with a surprised look.

“You won’t throw me out if I decide not to practice.”

Wong shrugged.

“It’s not my call, but I have a feeling that Stephen wouldn’t want to make you leave.”

“And you?”

Sighing, Wong was exhausted by trying to analyze all the feelings that had been going through him. It was tiring, and although no one ever directly asked him how he felt, they kept on prodding him about his feelings.

“Of course not. You are my friend. I’m sorry, I have been such a bad friend to you over the past few weeks, but I think we’re okay now. So I will tell you truthfully, we both know that even if you wanted to stop, you could never really give it up. You’ll always be drawn back to sorcery to some degree. Now though, with things as they are, you don’t have to take in the same duties as you once had. If you wanted, you could be a librarian of sorts? You have a much better disposition for it than I ever did.”

Especially with Karl, he could never fully remove himself from being a sorcerer, more so than Stephen and Wong could. He was born into this life, and it flowed through his veins, even if it had been a tainted experience in his early years.

“Maybe I just need a vacation,” Karl joked, softly.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea in Wong’s opinion. They all needed a vacation, but Karl especially so. He always struggled a bit more than the rest not to take things to heart too much.

“You have more options than you realize,” Wong gently reminded him.

“Yes, I guess you are right.”

He almost always was. It was something Wong prided himself on, and although he didn’t have many people who came to him, he knew the few who did normally felt better after. For him though, it was the least he could do for this person who meant so much to him, and still did.

Pouring himself another cup of tea, they sat in silence for the rest of breakfast. It wasn’t one of those awkward silences, but a calm soothing one, tinged with a meditatIve quality. If he closed his eyes, it almost felt like they were back in Kamar-Taj.

\----

Thankfully the next time he saw Stephen in the mid afternoon, he had shaved off the god awful beard. Wong was thankful for small miracles, as he was sure that Stephen actually kind of liked the beard. He shuddered to think about that alternative reality.

“Better?” Stephen teased, dipping down for a kiss.

Normally at this point, he would motion for Stephen to go away, but it had been such a long time, that he pressed Stephen against the wall as he practically assaulted the man’s mouth with his own. It was probably not the best idea to be doing it in the hallway, but he didn’t really care at the moment.

Pressing his knee between Stephen’s legs, he felt Stephen becoming aroused by him. Wong brought his hand down to stroke Stephen’s cock through the thick the material of his trousers, and Stephen groaned in response to the stimulation. Pulling away, Wong looked at the man.

“Was this the first thing on your mind when you woke up this morning?” Wong asked.

Really he didn’t need to ask the question, as he already knew the answer. A grin spreading across Stephen’s face confirmed this. It was obvious that the man had thought of nothing else, as he made himself so presentable and smelled strongly of all those nice clean, fresh scents that Wong adored. Wong just knew he spent a good chunk of his morning focusing on getting Wong back into bed with him.

“The bed was quite cold,” Stephen teased.

“I was busy, trying to salvage your reputation.”

One of Stephen’s brows questioned him, although he didn’t say anything.

“Yes, Mr. Sorcerer Supreme, it’s going to take some work to convince others that you are actually fit for the job.”

Stephen sighed, understanding his implication.

“Don’t worry. He’ll come around,” Wong reassured him, pressing his hand against Stephen’s groin once again.

Half of him didn’t even want to wait to get the bedroom that was a few doors down from him, but he knew it was impractical to fuck Stephen in the hallway. How much he wished that wasn’t true.

Pulling away, he brought his eyes back to meet Stephen’s, and could not mistake the overwhelming lust in them. Wong leaned in towards the man, his mouth pressed closed to the other man’s ear.

“I don’t think you’re going to get much done this afternoon, and I can’t bring myself to care that much.”

“I don’t mind working nights.”

Wong pulled away, grabbing Stephen’s hand and bringing him to their room. This once he would break his own personal rule about focusing on work during the day, and he couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty about it at all.

By evening, they made their reappearance, and joined Karl for dinner. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience, but he was obviously trying and Wong was happy about it. Stephen and Karl made some very shaky small talk, and it reminded Wong of when Karl first came back. He thought about how uncomfortable Karl and him made the atmosphere. Wong didn’t know how Karl had made it to this point. Wong would have never had the patience to deal with their strong personalities.

When they finished eating, Stephen and Karl did the dishes together as Wong had done the cooking. He watched the two as they worked like robots, side by side. Gone was the ease they had before Stephen had left.

It seemed as though Stephen and Wong's situations were flipped, until Stephen spoke up.

“You know, I’ll probably need some help in the future. I mean, I know I have Wong, but you saw more of the day to day tasks the former Sorcerer Supreme had. If you could help me, I would really appreciate it.”

His voice was soft, almost too soft to hear, and Karl seemed startled by it. Wong had a feeling this wasn’t the first time Stephen had asked for Karl’s help, but it was unexpected by them that a Sorcerer Supreme would be asking, rather than strongly recommending that they do something.

Tilting his head to the side, Wong folded his arms waiting for Karl’s answer. Part of him thought he should leave the two, but he knew he would become involved in this scheme at some point in the future. It would also solve the problem of having two masters and a Sorcerer Supreme in the Sanctum at one time. Karl would mentor and assist Stephen, while Wong would essentially become the default for the tasks needed to be done in the New York Sanctum. It was clever, and Wong wondered if he had only just thought of the plan, or if he had come up with it before, and had waited for the right moment to unfurl it.

Karl looked down at the last dish in his hand, and then put it off to the side.

“Master Hamir knows more than I do,” Karl replied.

Wong watched as Stephen took a deep breath in with a slightly pained expression, even though he was trying his best to hide it.

“But I know that Master Hamir is tired these days from the strain of acting in the stead of a Sorcerer Supreme,” Karl continued.

Stephen looked at Karl and smiled, although Karl was not looking at him. He seemed to avoid Stephen’s gaze, and all Wong could feel was a burst of pride and affection for these two men in front of him. It was something that he could have scarcely hoped for a few months ago, having not only his friend back, but a lover as well.

That’s how they slowly began with the new Sorcerer Supreme; the day's blending into weeks, and then into months. Although Stephen had been doing his best, he often needed help, and they helped him the best they could with what knowledge and experience they had. It was refreshing to have another voice in the Sanctum, especially when Stephen was in the wrong and he didn’t think he was. That kind of situation was less frequent than before, but it did happen at times.

Sometimes when he watched Stephen and Karl arguing about some point, he had to step in to referee. The two of them butting heads became so intense at times, that there were a few moments he thought Karl would just walk out on them. Yet, when Wong gently reminded him that Stephen meant no harm or disrespect, he seem to pull back a little.

They had been working well together, and actually all three of them had been able to function socially in the same room over the past few weeks. It wasn’t something that Wong ever thought they could do when Karl first showed up, but things had changed and it was miraculously working. Wong would even venture to call it comfortable at this point, as if they all figured out their different roles. Each one filled a different part and purpose to a point where if one was missing, the other two would feel it acutely. Stephen was the spontaneity they needed, while Karl had this surprising role of the confessor, and Wong liked to think of himself as the voice of reason.

One day when Karl had gone to Kamar-Taj to fetch and return some books for his own research, Stephen and him were sitting in the study late at night. Stephen looked at him with that same look he always had when he wanted to say something he didn’t quite know how to bring up. Accompanying that look was always that low hum, this time almost so soft Wong could barely hear it.

“Just say it Stephen,” Wong urged.

“What do you think about polyamory?”

The question was unexpected to say the least and Wong sat back, looking at Stephen in surprise.

“Okay. Hear me out here. If you say no it won’t change a thing. It’s just that I keep watching you and Karl, and I feel like he’s become part of us. Sometimes when we argue I get so scared he’ll leave us again, and I think you feel the same.”

Wong looked at him warily. Stephen was not wrong in any way shape or form, but what he was implying was a scary proposition.

“ _Now_ I know you feel the same, but do you want us to be with him. I mean, if he is open to it.”

It was so quiet Wong could hear both of their breathing. It was not a light question, and he had not thought about it before. What Stephen was suggesting was something as foreign to him as the city outside of their doors. However, he also now knew that this was what Stephen had been hinting at before he became the Sorcerer Supreme. At that point he probably would have flat out rejected Stephen’s suggestion, but now...

“I need time to think,” Wong said.

For him, commitments were something he never entered in lightly. Surely Stephen knew that from their own romance. As their conversation lulled, they resumed what they had been doing before the topic had been brought up. It was comfortable despite the awkwardness of Stephen's proposal. Shortly after, Karl joined them, unaware of the conversation that had taken place before he arrived.

As Stephen and Karl talked, Wong kept his book up to his face, pretending as though he needed new glasses, trying to hide the fact that Wong kept looking at Karl and then at Stephen. He felt those same feelings stir in him that he felt before, a mixture of affection and pride, but now he was starting to understand it wasn’t pride, it was attraction. He was attracted to both of them and both of them together.

He felt his chest tighten in response to his realization that he did actually want Karl. They had been friends for so long that he never wanted to shake up the status quo, and to be honest, he never felt he was worthy of anyone's affection until Stephen insisted that he was. Back when Karl first entered those doors, Wong had been willing to throw it all away, but Stephen had stopped him.

Wong's heart lurched, and he dropped his book, prompting looks from his other housemates.

“You okay there, Wong?” Stephen asked.

If only Wong could wipe the grin off of Stephen's face at this exact moment. He glared at Stephen in response, hoping the man would take the hint. Stephen still knew how to push the wrong buttons when he wanted.

“I am perfectly fine. It’s just the lighting. Really we need more lamps in here.”

Karl turned back to talk to Stephen about some piece of magic they had been discussing earlier. Stephen’s recent trip to one of the outer dimensions had him bringing back more questions than the answers he had found so far. Karl, having traveled to more dimensions with the Ancient One than the rest of the masters, easily schooled Stephen on the topic.

The way the two looked at each other and talked made Wong understand now that Stephen’s suggestion was going to be an inevitable truth. All he needed to do was say something, so he took a breath when the two had quieted.

“I don’t want to suddenly change the subject, but I might lose my nerve otherwise. Stephen and I have something we want to talk about,” Wong began.

He saw Karl sit up in suspense, know that Wong’s sudden interruption was something he did not normally do. Stephen also looked taken aback by Wong’s interruption, as Wong had not given him a clear answer a little while before.

“Are you sure?” Stephen asked.

Wong nodded and sat back in his chair, letting Stephen do the talking for them. It wasn’t something he was really comfortable bringing up with his oldest friend, because they never really talked about these types of things. In the past they had talked about dating, but on very vague terms.

Karl sat at the edge of his chair, looking between Stephen and Wong with a worried expression on his face.

“Oh god, this is a little awkward, but we would like to be in a relationship with you, if you’ll have us.”

Looking at Wong and then Stephen, his expression was hard to read.

“A threesome?” Karl asked, finally speaking.

“No, something more,” Wong responded.

Their eyes locked, and Wong knew that the man was struck speechless for a moment. It wasn’t a rejection, but it was a surprise to him, just as Stephen’s suggestion had been to Wong.

Silence fell over the room as Karl contemplated the proposition, Stephen seemingly becoming more nervous as each second passed. Wong was also nervous, but less so, as he knew nothing would change if Karl said no, and that was comforting to him.

“It’s an attractive idea, but how does it even work?” Karl asked.

Wong looked to Stephen, also not quite sure.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I would even get this far, but I guess if we take things slowly and talk.”

“Research,” Wong added.

That earned him a laugh, but his answer had been in earnest. Although Stephen seemed to have some understanding on the subject matter, this was mostly new territory for Karl and himself. It would be logical to look at how others did it. It was how he had learned long ago about all those taboo topics that he could never ask his friends or grandparents about, except for Karl, the first person he met like him. When they first became friends, he occasionally did ask about those taboo topics.

He tried not to think about that time too much, because it brought up more uncomfortable feelings of his attraction. Now they were in this position, it almost seemed like they came full circle, but it still felt unnatural to think of it.

“Yes. I guess you’re right,” Karl responded.

“It feels right,” Wong softly added.

The room fell silent once again as they began to contemplate what it meant for them, their hopes and their concerns unvoiced, but obvious in their expressions. They needed to let things sink in for a little, but Wong had a feeling they were going down a good path.


	7. Chapter 7

They decided to take it slow, and it was a very slow start, filled with a week of stolen glances and flirting with eyes, normally not from Wong’s end of things. Eventually, they decided that it would be best to sleep in the same bed together, to get used to just being close to one another in a more intimate space. Wong agreed readily to Stephen’s suggestion.

Over the past few days, he had noticed little physical exchanges between Karl and Stephen, but Wong had yet to make any grand overtures. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but Wong and Karl’s history was quite long and complex compared to Stephen’s relationship with either of them. Stephen could easily wrap his arms around one of them and rest his head on their shoulder, and it was like nothing, because that had always been how they interacted.

Wong was shy for the first time in decades, and he hated it. It made him feel like that fumbling underclassman in the hills, naive and unprepared for what was about to happen, his mouth slightly gaping in shock as his senior put his hand to his face.

The embarrassment was the same, and he felt like duck out of water as he put clothes on to get into bed. It had been quite a while since Wong had worn clothes to bed at night, not since that night Stephen came back as Sorcerer Supreme. He hated that the most.

Wong grumbled to himself that it was only for a little while, until they were more comfortable with one another. The fabric felt stifling, and didn’t fit the way that his robes did, it was too loose in places he felt should be tight, and too tight in places he felt it should be loose.

Glancing over at Stephen, who was already stripped down to his boxer briefs, and Karl who was tucked into the bed under the covers, he knew that it was going to be an interesting night.

When he finished, he turned the light off and climbed into bed next to Stephen, who was in the middle of the two. He felt Stephen’s hand reach over and lightly stroke his thigh, intertwined with Stephen’s leg as it normally was.

For a second, he thought about how Stephen was the glue that was holding them together at this point, always the first to suggest the next step. It felt more natural to him that Stephen would be the bridge, as he had dated both of them.

“Good night,” Stephen murmured before giving Wong a quick kiss.

“Good night,” Wong replied softly.

Stephen turned to face Karl, and did the same. Wong wasn’t sure if they had kissed before without him in the room, but seeing it made him feel a great many things he was not ready for. Desire, apprehension, surprise, and other feelings that there were no words for in the English language rolled through him. Ultimately he desired the same for himself, but they were a body a part, and he could tell Karl was uncomfortable with the display. He must not have thought Stephen would have done it just yet.

Slow and steady was the only way to go in Wong’s mind, but he also knew that the other two were vessels of pent up passion that probably were about to explode at this point. He was most likely holding them back, and unlike the cautious approach he took with Stephen, this seemed almost counter intuitive, as if he would get cold feet if they waited too long.

Closing his eyes, he tried to stop his thoughts from racing about his bed partners, but it was a futile exercise. Stephen on the other hand fell asleep rather quickly. Karl though was much like himself, and although they had shared a bed or at least a floor numerous times before, this time was different.

“Stephen snores a lot and sleeps like a log. I don’t know how much experience you have with that,” Wong said.

“Not much. You know how it was at Kamar-Taj.” Karl replied.

“Yes, especially with those windows. No one had any privacy. It was one of the reasons I was glad to be switched out of there from time to time.”

There were always places to steal kisses or have sex, but if they shared a room, someone would have found them.

“I remember that one student who used to sleepwalk and scare the others, because he would just stop in front of windows suddenly.”

Wong laughed softly, smiling to himself. He never saw that student, but he had definitely heard the stories.

“Thankfully, Stephen doesn’t sleep walk.”

But the nightmares tended to be something else. He wasn’t going to mention it at this point though, and he figured that Karl had already heard one or two already.

Wong felt the bed shift a little as Karl got into bed next to him, facing him. It was a welcomed move. This way they would not disturb Stephen, and they could talk a little more. His heart beat a little faster, knowing that he wouldn’t get to sleep anytime soon. He figured Karl was the same.

“You know, we need to stop dancing around it. It’s killing me,” Karl confessed.

“I’m finding it hard to change after such a long time.”

Wong closed his eyes after he confessed this, and only slightly opened them as he felt Karl’s soft lips press against his. It was a quick, chaste kiss, unsure, but it emboldened him more than he thought it would. He returned Karl’s kiss with more fervor. In all honesty, he was unprepared for how correct it all felt.

When they broke apart he looked at his friend turned lover, his eyelids half closed in a dreamy state, and he smiled a satisfied smile.

“For the last few days, I wasn’t sure if Stephen had pushed you into this agreement. Now I know that you do want this,” Karl said softly.

“Yes. Did you actually think I could be bullied?”

“No. I guess I didn’t think it through.”

Wong raised his hand to stroke Karl’s cheek, and he closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to go any further tonight, again because he was the slow and steady one, and there had to be someone who was steady in their little arrangement. Or at least that is what he told himself, even though he knew deep down inside if they went any further he wouldn’t want to stop.

When the next morning came, Wong opened his eyes to Stephen looking over both of them, obviously interested in how Karl came to be pressing up against Wong’s side rather than near his. He grinned at Wong, and Wong felt relieved that Stephen wasn’t upset in any way. A part of him had worried about how they would balance the dynamics, because it was one thing to love more than one person, and another thing to keep it all into perspective and not become too insecure. Wong knew it would probably be his biggest struggle.

“Are you more comfortable?” Stephen asked.

Wong nodded. It was amazing how much he felt for both of these men, and how they had accepted him for who he was. It wasn’t something that he had expected to find even once in his lifetime. Although he knew that things would not feel like this forever, he was content for now.

Stephen leaned over him to kiss him, and Wong shifted from laying on his side to on his back. Allowing Stephen to kiss him like he did every morning made him feel more alive, and when they finished, they noticed that Karl had woken up. Quietly, he reached out to Stephen, and Stephen obliged him with a kiss as well. It was delicious to watch; Stephen’s and Karl’s appearance and personalities complimented one another in Wong’s eyes. The image of the two melding with their different dynamics interested him, and Wong felt his body react in response. Stephen noticed his little tells as well, and brought Karl’s hand to Wong’s cock. He groaned as Karl started palm him through the fabric, lazily and without much finesse at this point, his body contorted in a slightly uncomfortable position. This was one of the many reasons he hated wearing clothes to bed. They were an inconvenience, and he made up his mind to never wear them to bed again, even if they had guests.

Karl moaned, breaking from Stephen as Wong returned the favor, his hand reaching under Karl’s bottoms and grasping his hardening erection. Watching Wong and Karl as they kissed, Stephen grinned at his partners, helping them out of their clothes. Karl and Wong weren’t going to to protest at the moment, too concerned with exploring one another’s mouths.

Everything seemed to be getting a little fuzzier around the edges as they progressed, and Wong didn’t really care who was where, as long as there were hands on him and an occasional mouth on his. However, he did pay attention when Stephen’s mouth moved downward, first nipping at his inner thighs despite knowing that Wong was quite sensitive. He groaned and squirmed until Stephen’s nose nuzzled up against his scrotum, before mouthing at the fleshy sack. Stephen sucked gently, and Wong gasped, before feeling Karl straddle his torso, claiming his mouth. Wong grabbed at the other man’s cock, spreading the precum leaking from the head down the shaft as they kissed, sloppily and slowly.

Eventually, Stephen moved from his balls upward to wrap his mouth around the head of his cock. His tongue teased the underside of the spongy head, then pressed along the vein as he moved down to the base, fully engulfing Wong’s cock. All of his senses seemed to be overloading at this point, and he knew if they didn’t stop doing this soon, he would go mad from it all. It was hard to focus on one act, finding his own movements erratic as well.

Once again he felt Stephen moved back up the shaft before taking it in fully in a deft motion, like he had done many times before. He was quite the good cock sucker, a skill he seemed to have mastered past the point of perfection on Wong during the last six months. He knew exactly the right rhythm and amount of pressure Wong liked.

Breaking away from Karl’s attentive kissing, Wong gasped as he came, slightly disappointed he couldn’t watch Stephen swallowing his cum as he always did it so well. Wong stopped tugging on Karl’s cock for a moment as the waves of pleasure rolled through him. Before he could start again, Stephen nudged Karl off of Wong, guiding him on his back, and kissed him roughly. Wong watched with wide eyes as Stephen kissed him aggressively, and knew that Karl could taste Wong in the kiss. He had never seen Stephen like this. Sometimes Stephen was playful, but he normally begged Wong to take him roughly or to use him. It was interesting to watch the other two. The way Stephen acted was as if he was a chameleon of sex, changing depending on his partner, but unaware of his own nature as he did it. Wong could not bend like that, and he was sure Karl was the same, rigid in their habits and preferences.

Karl brought his hand up, and Stephen spit in it. Watching as Stephen straddled Karl’s hips, he saw Karl reach down and grasp both their cocks in his hand. They were beautiful together, every little part of them seemed to contrast and compliment one another at the same time. Overwhelmed by the display, Wong turned on his side to kiss Karl. Stephen was now preoccupied with his own pleasure of watching them, babbling what Wong assumed was what Stephen thought of as encouraging words. However, it was practically nonsense to Wong, as he was unwilling to try to process it at the moment. Karl moaned into Wong’s mouth as he came, and Stephen decorated Karl’s abdomen soon after as Wong pulled away from Karl to watch it happen.

For something that had made him so nervous, it turned out to be one of the best experiences he ever had. It was raw, and they seemed to have lost all inhibitions as they entangled themselves in one another. The glow of the morning made things feel a little more ethereal.

As he watched Stephen clean Karl’s abdomen, Wong stroked Karl's arm with the back of his hand affectionately. He would forever be grateful to both of them for giving him this gift of their love, no matter how long it may last in the future. He sighed happily thinking about what they had just done.

Normally, Stephen liked to talk after these morning romps, but today he was silent, perhaps too worn out or overwhelmed for the moment. As they lay there, just listening to their breathing, it hit Wong that this was reality now. It was not a dream, or a one time thing. He realized that this could be everyday if they wanted, and even if he knew he would wind up disliking it if it were every day, it was the possibility that made his heart soar.

“We can’t stay in bed forever,” Karl finally said.

“Yea,” Stephen responded.

Wong dragged himself out of bed and into the shower first, knowing the other two probably were not going to move about anytime soon. It was to be expected, and he only regretted that the shower was not big enough for the other two, as even one extra was a squeeze. He cursed the turn of the century house and its little quirks of architecture.

When he finished his shower he heard low laughter coming from the bedroom. It sounded melodious, and he stepped back into bedroom, drying himself off.

“We need a bigger shower,” Wong grumbled.

“I always thought so,” Stephen agreed before cheekily adding, “as water conservation is important.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly the first reason that popped into you head,” Karl teased.

Wong’s heart skipped a beat at their banter. It was as if they were all sitting around the kitchen table. Only normally they were not naked around the kitchen table and Stephen was not directing innuendo at the two of them in the same room.

It almost felt wasteful to be putting on clothes, but as Karl went to go shower, he felt a little less sad about the reality. He hoped that they could eventually have a day to themselves, but they were busy.

“That was a good start to the morning,” Stephen ventured hesitantly.

Stephen knew that Wong had been nervous about the situation, but really he had nothing to worry about. It was the anticipation more than the actual idea. The question of how and when was the stressful part of act.

“Yes, I would say so. Don’t let it go to your head. One day, one of us will wake up annoyed about being shoved to the side of the bed, or having the cover pulled off of us during the middle of the night, or your snoring. God knows there are times that I have been tempted to hit you with my pillow,” He scolded.

“You snore, too.”

“No, I do not, at least if I do, it’s not as loudly as you do.”

Stephen made a sound as if to say ‘yea, right’, and Wong chose to ignore him, feeling gracious this morning.

“So, how are you?”

Thinking about it, he didn’t really know how he could put all of his feelings he had in the morning into words.

“I think it was obvious how I felt.”

He watched as Stephen grinned.

“Don’t let it go to your head, as you were only one part of the equation,” Wong reminded him.

Karl soon exited the bathroom, and Wong was nearly finished dressing by the time Stephen stepped into the shower. The silence was slightly uncomfortable, but Wong didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t very good at small talk in normal circumstances, let alone after having a romp with your best friend turned partner and your other partner.

“That shower is quite small,” Karl said after a few minutes.

Wong tried not to stare as Karl started to put on his robes, something that he only started doing when Stephen was gone.

“Yes. It’s not the best, and I’m sure in about three minutes all the hot water will run out,” Wong remarked, smirking.

He wasn’t sure if Stephen realized the fact the boiler was quite small for the house.

“Good to know.”

“This morning was pleasant,” Wong said after a minute or two.

“I thought it was a little more than pleasant.”

He couldn’t see Karl’s face as he had his back to Wong, but his tone was soft and carried a note of satisfaction. It was all he needed to know.

\----

It was still uncomfortable to show affection for one when the other was not around, and some of these more delicate issues really bothered Wong. Although he never minded the small touches and kisses of his partners in front of him, and he would not mind them if they were not in front of him either, it was hard to separate himself from the worry that Stephen or Karl would be hurt by him doing it.

In some ways, he was a little old fashioned compared to the other two, taking a little longer to get used to this, even though it was something he wanted badly. He didn’t quite know how to get used to it, except by actually doing it, but overriding all those scary feelings would take some time for him. He had no idea about the others.

However, he didn’t have to wait long to find out, as about a week after they had slept together for the first time, Stephen had to go away for some time. This time it was due to reports of disturbances by Mephisto. Both Karl and him knew that it would not be easy to banish him once again. They offered to go with Stephen, but since Mephisto had been reported in Europe, he made the right decision to go with the Master of the London Sanctum. They waited once again in the Sanctum, just the two of them.

This time was much easier though, as even though Karl and him worried, they did it together. He could talk freely about the situation, discussing not only what could be happening, but their concerns. At night too, Wong and Karl kept one another company providing a little relief.

“He’ll be okay,” Karl reassured, kissing him lightly on his forehead.

When he did that, it reminded him of all those times Stephen had done the same when he had felt stressed about some situation. Even though Wong didn’t know it at the time, something clicked within him. All those concerns he had about that kind of thing were unimportant. At that moment, it never crossed him mind that Stephen may be hurt by the action; it was silly at that point to think such things.

Wong sighed as he pulled himself closer to Karl.

“I know. It’s still so hard not to worry. You know, I would be the same if you were there.”

Actually he might be worse if both of them were there.

“And I with you,” Karl reassured him.

But they of course missed Stephen.

Thankfully, after a few days Stephen did return without a scratch on him, but looking weary. They sent him straight to bed, both of them tending to the man by tucking him in with some kisses in the middle of the day. Stephen was truly spoiled in many ways.

Wong and Karl went about their day like normal, a little more relaxed than in the previous days. They spent the evening together dining, and then quietly relaxing in the study. Then something surprising happened when they were set to retire for the night. Karl laid his hand upon Wong’s shoulder, before speaking.

“I think I’ll sleep in my old rooms tonight, if that’s alright with you,” he said softly.

Wong looked up at him, surprised at the offer and slightly torn between accepting it and rejecting it.

“Don’t feel you have to.”

“I only do what I want to do. Don’t you know that by now?”

Karl smiled at him, that lovely smile, and Wong realized this was part of what it meant to be involved with one another. Sometimes there had to be some give and some take, much like any relationship. Sure things were different, but in reality they weren’t as different as his mind had made them out to be.

“Thank you.”

Wong's words were simple, but his meaning was deep, and when he left the room, he knew in the morning everything would be the same. He was understood without explanation or justification, and he knew one day he would return the gesture. It was the way of things; they came full circle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. ^-^♡


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